Contrasts
by tarienn
Summary: Occurs during the movie, right after Nick met Judy. Up to that point, Nick Wilde made a lot of mistakes, but some carry more consequence than others… some that are more far-reaching than he could ever have imagined. He hustled the wrong mammals, played the wrong cards, fell into the wrong crowd. But falling in love with Judy? That was never a mistake. It all started with a con…
1. It all started with a Con

**Notes:** I've gone back and re-read some of my earlier chapters, and I realize a difference in writing quality between the beginning and my later chapters. This is my first attempt at long-form writing, and in my opinion, my writing quality improves quite a bit from this first initial chapter. I've been told to resist the urge to come back and improve my earlier chapters until the fiction is complete(which will be quite a while as I have a massive amount of content planned for this story, my goal is to reach at least 600k words before the end). So I must ask that anyone interested in reading this fiction to have the patience to read through these initial chapters as my writing quality does improve! (I promise! Although I guess that's all relative to my opinion eh?) Please leave comments if you enjoy or if you have any feedback. I read them all, even if I don't respond.

Thanks! And enjoy Contrasts!

* * *

So tell me. What do you think the world runs on?

 _What do you mean?_

Well, a car runs on gas, cops run on donuts, politicians run on ego.

 _I hope this isn't one of your pessimistic rants again_

I prefer the term realistic, but no, I'm just trying to set the mood for my story.

 _Ok Mr. Mysterious. Um, the world runs on hard work, dedication to a cause-_

Oh, you are so cute! OK, I'll give you that, the world is run _by_ the mammals, some of which provide hard labor, and focus to a profession. But I'm talking about the fuel, the catalyst.

 _You know I'm no good at these riddles, are you talking about money?_

Close! But there's one thing that's more refined, one thing more valuable.

 _I don't get it…_

It's information, this is what runs our world. Information can be bought, sold, traded, manipulated, used, used to build, or destroy. This is what runs our modern world, and he who controls the information… well, I think you know where this is going.

You asked me what I 'used to hustle', it was information. Information that could change lives, make them better, even ruin them all in the blink of an eye. I was powerful, I had associates and business partners but I never worked _for_ anyone.

 _What changed? Why'd you leave that life?_

It wasn't by choice, I made a mistake. A big one. Hah, I dealt with all the information in the world, but I couldn't stop myself from making one stupid mistake. But, I guess it was for the best, I wasn't really happy with that life.

I never got my hands dirty, but I still held myself responsible, and I did a lot of things that I'm not proud of. I was good at it, and I liked doing it, but I wasn't happy with it. If that makes any sense.

 _Then… why did you do it?_

Well, it was a living I guess. It kept me busy, paid the bills, I found it exhilarating!… and… I was looking for something. Someone…

 _Did you… ever find what you were looking for?_

… No …

 _Are you still looking?_

Nah, I gave up on that a long time ago. Besides, I found something better… I found you.

* * *

 _June 4th, 20X8_

 _Afternoon_

 _Sahara Square_

"So, we just gonna let her follow us around?" Finnick asked, raising an eyebrow.

The two were driving towards Tundra Town, the jars of melted jumbo pop sloshing around in the back of the van.

"Yeah, let's just see how long she keeps at it. What's wrong? Afraid the little bunny's gonna give you a parking ticket?" Nick quipped, tapping his claws on the opened passenger window.

"Tch, Nick, I ain't afraid of no bunny. It's a bunny of the law that makes me nervous. Didn't you see the news? She's an actual police officer," Finnick said, referring to the news on TV as well as the Internet that savannah central was getting its first Rabbit officer today.

"Ugh, OK, I don't know what the big deal is," his tone suddenly becoming slightly annoyed. "Yeah, ok she's got the costume on, complete with the cute mini-badge- but she's still just a little fluffy bunny that's in way over her head. I guarantee you, she's not going to last 3 days in this city, let alone that joke of a uniform."

"Whoa, whoa, that's a little harsh. She really getting to you or something?"

Nick realized he was getting worked up. Embarrassed, he stayed silent. He looked in the rearview mirror as they entered the tunnel leading into Tundra Town. The rabbit was still a few cars behind them, but she stuck out like a sore thumb. _Who does she think she's kidding? I can see that joke mobile from a mile away_.

"I mean, we almost didn't get that jumbo pop without her, plus she paid for it for us." Finnick continued. "Maybe we need some new blood, our act might be getting stale after all these years-"

"Hey, whoa! Big guy, did I just hear you correctly?" Nick interrupted, taken aback, his eyes wide and his ears splayed out. "Are you suggesting we work with a cop?!"

"OK, first of all," Finnick shot back, "you **just** said she wasn't a real cop, second, she did do a good job of getting us this product-"

"Ahh! Such a great idea!" Nick interrupted sarcastically, "Oh officer! You see me and my little boy here were just wondering if you would be interested in some less-than-legal activities for fun and profit," he let out a forced laugh.

"Nick, look man, all I'm sayin' is that we don't make as much money as we used to," Finnick sighed.

"Oh, Finny, I swear if you keep bringing up Mr. Big..." Nick cringed internally.

"With things the way they are now, maybe we should just keep our options open. Don't know about you, but I gotta make a living," Finnick said sternly, not wanting to drag up past mistakes. "And what's up with you all of a sudden anyway, mister nothing-gets-to-me? This bunny fuzz starts following us and you gettin' all sorts of sticks stuck up your tail."

It was true, he had been getting worked up. Nick let out a sigh and forced himself back into his usual smug persona.

"Yeah," Nick said, "I suppose I have a few words for her. Trust me pal, I know exactly how to handle this," and with that, his signature smirk was back on full display.

"Man, I know we're friends and all, but it gets tiring talking to you," Finnick remarked, realizing that Nick wasn't going to answer his question.

 _Tundra Town_

As the van exited the tunnel, the two rolled up their windows as the air suddenly became much colder. They drove for a while in silence. Nick checking the rear view mirror occasionally to scan for the relentless rabbit.

"So, s'there a reason you won't let me change out of my Elephant suit?" Finnick said, itching at his costume.

"Wouldn't want my little treasure getting pneumonia in the middle of Tundra Town!" Nick replied with a gratuitous amount of honey. He patted Finnick on his head.

Finnick swatted at his hand, "ugh, If you keep talkin' to me like that, you're gonna be the one wearing this suit."

"It's kinda funny, did you see the look on her face when she saw you bringing the jars into the van?" Nick laughed a with a toothy smile.

"Oh, so we're just putting on a show for this bunny then?" Finnick said. The big-eared fox shifted to low gear as the van started to drive up the icy incline. "My mom always said I could put looks on people's faces."

"Let's just let this rabbit follow behind and let her see how we work, best case scenario, we have an 'officer' on our side when she sees how much money we bring in, worst case, she tries to arrest me and I put her in her place. No risk!"

Finnick rolled his eyes "Yeah, you all about the no-risk ventures." He started pulling over the van next to a snowy field. The van stopped and idled for a moment.

"Uh, Fin, if I'm recalling correctly, you're the one who wants to work with a cop."

"We worked with a dirty cop before, I don't remember you having any issues with it then," Fin put the van into park but left it running.

"Again, that was _your_ idea," Nick displayed one finger before raising a second, "and _I_ wasn't involved in that decision." He turned his attention to surveying the field, "Looks clear, this spot'll do nicely,"

Nick unbundled his seat belt and opened the door to hop out. He looked around for the rabbit, but she was nowhere in sight. _Did we lose her?_ , he thought to himself, a little disappointed.

He walked around to the back of the van as Finnick opened it from the inside.

"Tell me this, Nick. Asking her to join us was my idea." Finnick started, some suspicion in his voice. "You're the one who wanted me to let her follow us. What exactly is _your_ plan?" He shoved one of the jars of red liquid at Nick's chest.

"Well, you know, great minds think alike," Nick grinned as he accepted the liquid and set it on the ground next to the van.

Finnick let out a deep laugh, "Oh no, you don't! You clearly didn't like my idea when I brought it up the first time." Finnick grabbed another jar and passed it to Nick.

Nick looked down the road they drove up from as he set down the second jar. The caution lights from a familiar traffic cart caught his eye. Nick chuckled to himself, better late then never. She was keeping her distance, but Nick wondered if she realized those traffic lights were on.

Finnick hopped out of the van with the last of the jars under his arms. His baby pacifier was back in his mouth. _Good, I guess he's done with the questions then._ It was, of course, not for him to suck on, but to grind his teeth in annoyance.

"I just like messing with cops, you know that," Nick finally replied, closing the doors to the van. He picked up the two jars and followed Finnick across the street to the empty field. Snow started to fall.

* * *

 _June 4th, 20X8_

 _Evening_

 _Savannah Central_

"You make a cute meter maid, though, hang in there!" He said with a forced amount of sincerity as he jogged across the road, satisfied with the verbal beating he had dealt to the bunny. His smirk a bit wider than usual.

He put his hands in his pockets as he walked down the sidewalk, replaying the conversation he just had. Nick had dealt with the more than occasional rookie officer thinking they could put him in cuffs on a technicality, so he was well-equipped in sending them on their way. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that this particular naive hick of a Rabbit had gotten on his nerves a bit more than it should have, and made him act much more hostile than normal.

He licked the cherry-flavored sugary taste from his fangs, _I really need to stop eating my own product_ , he thought to himself, recalling the pawpsicle he was eating when he was so savagely confronted.

He reached into his front pocket to feel the blueberries he had pocketed from the fruit stand, but decided not to eat any. They wouldn't help much in getting rid of the sugar taste.

He put his hand back in his pants pocket. He recalled the expressions that the meter maid had made. He really cut into her, and she deserved every word, he thought. Who did she think she was? Some little kid bunny from the countryside, who had no business being in the city, and god forbid be wearing that uniform, lecturing him on how he never tried to be anything more. He was a fox! What did she expect? That he was going to be some upstanding-

Nick realized he was making a scowl, and slowly stopped walking. She really had got to him; he was angry and his mind was racing.

He quickly shook his head and forced himself to smirk as he resumed walking.

He had spotted her following them all the way from Sahara Square after they had melted the giant elephant popsicle. She had been tailing them for at least 6 hours. _Didn't she have anything better to do? Like writing parking tickets?_ , he thought.

Nick pulled out his phone, but promptly forgot what he was going to do with it. He stared at his notifications, not actually reading any of them.

 _Looks like you got yourself a stalker, Nick! Complete with Fox repellant_ , he thought as he stared into the street. The phone in his hand slowly lowered.

He raised an eyebrow, _Seriously, what was up with the fox repellent? Did she have some kind of vendetta against foxes?_ He shook his head again, trying to clear the thoughts from his mind, and pocketed his phone. He was coming up to the front of his apartment building. It was a tall, mostly inconspicuous building that matched the usual design of most older era architecture in this area of the savannah district.

"Don't let her get to you," Nick quietly said to himself as he walked to the entrance, he let out small chuckle, "After all, what are the odds you'll run into her again?"

* * *

 _June 4th, 20X8_

 _Night_

 _Savannah Central_

"A coolant coil explosion in the environmental control wall, separating Tundra Town and Sahara Square, occurred earlier this morning causing a partial shutdown of the wall," said the snow leopard on the TV, in her usual low-key accent, "The resulting explosion caused internal damage to the wall, as well as minor injuries to 2 engineers working in the sector at the time."

"This marks the third such explosion after city officials announced a partnership with a new contractor, BCP, that provides technology and maintenance for the weather control columns less than 5 months ago. The deal was made after the previous contractor, DewLabs Performa, rose its estimate for the cost of maintaining the wall, citing increasing summer temperatures and a change in year-to-year humidity."

"ZNN has reached out to BCP for an official statement, but the company has refused to comment. Mayor Lionheart has announced that all new equipment and chemical orders to BCP are being placed on hold indefinitely until the cause of the explosion is investigated. This places strain on BCP following a decline in reported revenue for its 4th fiscal year in a row; stock prices for the company have also plummeted by 35 percent mere minutes after market opening. _This_ after a _42 percent_ drop since the first explosion in February earlier this year."

"The mayor also announced that temperatures in both Tundra Town and Sahara Square are not expected to be affected, as the wall was able to engage several backup columns in compensating for the partial shutdown-"

The news continued on in this fashion, stating traffic rerouting and air quality changes in the area due to the smoke and airborne chemicals released from the explosion.

Nick stopped paying attention to the TV as he rummaged through his undersized kitchen. He didn't really watch TV but kept it on in the background when he needed to get his mind off something. He finally gave up looking for something to eat and went over to lay on his couch. Sighing into the cushions, he pulled out his phone.

1 Message from Finnick, was the only notification displayed. He tapped it to bring up the message.

( I'm at her place, I can't do this man )

Nick grinned and tapped away his reply.

( Get in there and talk to her! Try wearing the elephant outfit, no one can stay mad at you when you wear that )

( Man, I'm gonna reach through this damn phone and choke you out )

Nick chuckled, already tapping back.

( I'm serious, if you go up there like that then she'll just have to forgive you )

Finnick took a bit longer to reply this time, Nick grinned as he imagined the tiny fox considering the idea. He turned off his ignored TV, leaving his phone as the only source of light in his apartment.

( Yeah… well, I guess I'll think about it if she turns me away again. Going up to her apartment now, wish me luck )

( Good luck, buddy ) He tapped in "Daddy loves you" but deleted it, deciding he gave big-eared fox enough crap for today.

Nick turned off the screen to his phone, leaving him in the darkness. He let the phone fall to his chest as his fox eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Nick normally didn't need any lights on at this time of night; there was enough visibility from several blinking lights around his apartment, as well as the lights from the city that shone in through his window. He stared at his ceiling, his mind going once more to the naive bunny from earlier.

 _No one tells me what I can or can't be! Especially not some JERK who never had the guts to try to be anything more than a pawpsicle hustler_ , the words echoed in his head.

That was what really got to him.

"Ohoh, I tried…" Nick barely whispered to himself, making a scowl on his face. "You have no _idea_ how hard I tried… what life I used to live." Nick went quiet.

 _But, thanks for expecting better of me, I guess…_ That was it, something clicked in his head. _She expected more of me…?_

"Hah", he scoffed after a pause. _How naive, how cute! Whoever looked at a fox and thought "Oh, I wonder what he is, a doctor? an engineer? A lawyer?" Well, I guess I can see a fox lawyer…_

Nick shook his head, and jumped up from the couch, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind. _Nick, my boy, you have dwelled on this dumb bunny enough for one day, forget her, move on, and get the hell to bed._

Nick walked through his dark apartment, pulling his tie off from over his head without actually undoing the knot and dropped it on the floor. He would need that tomorrow. He stripped an article of clothing every few steps. Leaving a trail leading from the couch, should he get lost and need to find his way back.

Nick fell face first onto his mattress wearing just his boxers. He did what his mind bade him, and went the hell to bed. _Now if I could just get the hell to sleep._


	2. Rags for Riches

_June 5th, 20X8_

 _Noon_

 _Savannah Central_

"Fin, you really need to talk to her, look at how much it's bugging you," Nick said, taking a bite of some fries.

"I almost knocked on her door last night," the tiny fox replied, not touching his food. "Last week I couldn't even make it into the building, I say I'm makin' progress."

"Aaaand where'd you leave the money this time?" Nick said teasingly.

"… mailbox…", Finnick's ears lowered, annoyed, as he drank from his soda.

Nick chuckled as he drank his black coffee, not wanting to laugh too much at his friend's troubles. The two were eating outside in front of a food stand, sitting at one of the tables set up in the shade of a potted tree on the wide sidewalk. Mammals walked by busily, but the two foxes were absorbed in their own troubles.

"Man, I don't know what to do anymore," Finnick fumed, "I used to think I had my life under control… you know?"

Nick frowned empathetically at his friend, he let out a soft sigh. "Hey Finny, just give it time. Just because you have a problem that you can't solve right now doesn't mean your life is out of control."

"Yeah, yeah, nothing gets to you, I get it," Finnick rolled his eyes as he slowly started eating his neglected meal of cheese sticks and fries.

"Ehhh, I never said nothing gets to me," Nick corrected as he gave a slight grin, seeing his friend come out from his dark mood. "Never let them _see_ it. You can feel it all you want, if you don't, that's when you let it bottle up."

"Right, sure thing Zen Master Wilde," The white fox chuckled, stuffing a cheese stick in his muzzle.

The two continued eating, the mood picking up considerably. They chatted about other things, trying to keep their mind off the troubles that had been really bothering them. Finnick chatted about some movies, something Nick didn't really care for, though he was glad that his friend was out of the dumps. But in the back of his mind, Nick couldn't help but think of a certain long-eared mammal. Nick didn't bring it up; there wasn't anything to say, just the memory of some words that were said, and looks exchanged.

Eventually, the two finished eating, and Nick disposed of the trays in the nearby medium garbage can, then followed Finnick to his van parked on their side of the street.

"Let's go pick up the fabric, we need to grab it before they close up the warehouse," Nick said, hopping into the passenger side.

"Yeah, I know the drill," Finnick replied as he strapped his seatbelt and started up the van. He headed off towards the textile warehouse, which happened to house some materials that they needed for a certain routine that Nick so liked to call "Riches for rags." The rags in question already bundled up nicely in the back of the van, piled onto a big pallet that barely squeezed into the modest sized vehicle.

The rags were of course acquired for free, thanks to the duo posing as a cleaning team offering a complimentary promotional laundry service to a local fancy restaurant, who were all too willing to part with their dirty table linens.

"Honestly, Finny! I don't know why you bother taking off the elephant suit when you'll just need to put it back on again," Nick raised an eyebrow at his partner.

"Huh, you always on about that dumb elephant suit. In case you hadn't noticed, it's the middle of summer, and that suit hasn't been cleaned since last weekend."

"Phew, yeah I noticed when I was giving my little eley-welly a kiss yesterday," Nick laughed, nudging Finnick in the shoulder with his knuckles.

"Maybe if we had a few routines that didn't involve me being a damn baby, I could have some time to put it through the wash. I swear, man, you got me wearin' that suit just to humiliate me."

"Oh, come on, remember we tried the little rhino suit, the buffalo suit, the lion suit, people just weren't buying it!" Nick started chuckling in his usual foxy laugh, "Oh! And that giraffe suit! Thought I'd never get you down from that ceiling fan!"

Finnick waited for the larger fox to stop laughing, eyeing him grumpily but allowing a smile to show through his annoyance, "Heh, yeah, OK, that one was a little funny."

"Oh, come on, ok tell you what, one of these days, I'll be the baby," offered Nick, almost sincerely.

"Why does there always gotta be a baby?"

"Because babies are innocent— no one ever suspects a baby!"

Finnick let out an amused groan, Nick had a point there.

The two spent a moment in silence as the traffic slowly started to pick up, seeing as it was after lunch time.

"Do you ever miss the old days?" Nick suddenly let out, still looking out his window.

" _Old_ days? You starting to sound like someone who belongs in a retirement home."

Nick didn't respond.

"Hmm. Do I miss the old crime life where I almost got killed daily and didn't know who I was gonna off next?" Finnick thought for a moment. "… Hell yeah, I do, I was good at what I did, and you did whatever it was you did behind the scenes. The whole crew… yeah, it was stressful, but it was what I was good at it. Lost me my girl though, she won't talk to me anymore since she found out… Can't really say that was a price I wanted to pay…"

The two soaked in a moody silence.

"Man, what the hell you bringing this dusty stuff up for? You been acting all funky lately."

"Yeah," Nick replied plainly. He stared out the front window, eyes half lidded.

"You gonna talk? Talk man, I'm listenin'. Otherwise, if you wanna talk about the old days, I have ways of makin' you talk."

Nick sighed, "That bunny, from yesterday…"

"Oh yeah? Thinkin' about that cop again, huh," Finnick raised an eyebrow, interested to see what was getting to Nick. "Thought you said you had to tell her off. That she wasn't interested."

"I did, and she wasn't— too innocent, thinks the world works like some fairytale," Nick rubbed his paws on his lap, not sure where he was going with this, or what he was trying to get off his chest.

"OK, so she's out of the picture then, what's the problem?"

Nick thought back at how the two verbally laid into each other. He wanted to get something of his chest, but he didn't quite know what _it_ was. "No problem, the crew's fine how it is. Besides, there'll be other opportunities."

Finnick knew there was more to this than Nick was willing to talk about, but he let it go.

A police siren screeched from behind them, and the cruiser it belonged to shot past them. Another cruiser wasn't far behind; Finnick pulled over the van to get out of the way, as did other cars on the road.

Several police cruisers were gathering on the road near Little Rodentia, as officers seemed to be drawn to something towards the middle of the tiny city.

"Huh," Finnick pondered aloud, "big cops being called to mini-city. Wonder what's up."

* * *

 _June 5th, 20X8_

 _Afternoon_

 _Sahara Square_

( Ready? )

( ready )

Nick put his phone in his overalls pocket, and straightened his hard hat. "Flash is good to go, you ready?" Nick managed to wear his green silk shirt and tie underneath the denim overalls. Above it all, he wore a bright orange visibility jacket.

Finnick pulled the hood of the elephant costume over his head and signaled thumbs up on both paws.

Nick gave some hand signs, to which the tiny elephant nodded, and the two departed into warehouse. The larger fox walked in, past a few warehouse workers dressed in the same clothing; the smaller snuck around some of the pallet shelves.

A few of the workers stared at Nick, to which he cheerily waved and smiled. The skeptical mammals shrugged and continued about their business. No one with high visibility vest would be out of place here. A large polar bear worker was walking around, writing on a clipboard; a badger was driving a forklift. Nick counted half a dozen mammals in the warehouse. The warehouse was fairly large, seeming to hold smaller containers on rows of tall shelves near the truck loading bay on the one side, but larger shipping containers stacked on the other.

There was a single short-length truck awaiting cargo parked near the far side of the warehouse. Now Nick just needed to locate the merchandise. He was looking for a pallet that contained a fancier fabric than the pallet of dirty table linens they had brought to trade for it.

Nick looked around for the tiny purple elephant, seeing him peeking from behind one of the shipping containers. He relayed this information to him via hand sign. The elephant responded by pointing to a pallet sitting near the shelf behind Nick. _There it is,_ Nick thought to himself, allowing a goofy grin to spread over his muzzle. They were going to need to act fast. He signed to Finnick to begin, to which he nodded.

Nick wandered inconspicuously over to the badger who was driving the forklift. He pulled out his phone and texted Flash.

( Distraction in 5 )

He put the phone away and brought his arms behind his back and started counting on his fingers. _3…2…1_ There was a loud crash followed shortly by the sound of someone shouting for help. The alarmed badger parked the forklift, leaving it running. The polar bear and the rest of the mammals all rushed over to the origin of the sound, leaving Nick alone near the loading bay. An unseen mammal shouted about how a baby managed to climb so high, Nick chuckled.

There was a sound of tires screeching in the distance, at which Nick gave a grin. Without skipping a beat, he hopped into the forklift and put it into gear. A truck backed into a loading door further down the bay, its rear shutters opening automatically, revealing the pallet of rags Nick had loaded earlier.

He deftly slid the pallet of dirty rags out of the freshly parked truck and drove it back to the larger one awaiting the precious cargo, keeping an eye out for any stray workers that may have caught him.

He drove the fork lift and swiftly deposited the pallet into the awaiting truck. He parked the forklift off to the side, and hopped out. He grabbed the clip board the polar bear had dropped and hopped out of the loading bay, jogging along side the truck. Nick kept trying to keep the oversized hard hat from falling off; it obviously was a size too large. Climbing up to the driver of the truck, he peeked in, seeing a sheep and a somewhat taller deer as his passenger.

"Howdy, fellas! Truck's all loaded and secure, just need you to sign," Nick handed the clipboard expectantly to the driver of the truck.

"Hey, hey, not so fast, we need to inspect. You guys are always trying to rush us out of here."

"Oh, by all means guys, it's all there," Nick gave a polite tap of his hard hat.

The sheep gave his deer passenger a nod, to which the deer opened the door and hopped down, out of the truck. Nick ran around to the other side of the truck to meet him.

"Hey, how you doing?" Nick asked casually. The deer was tall, with Nick only coming up to the deer's chest.

"Eh, seen better days, but whose keeping track, eh?"

The two walked to the end of the truck and climbed the short stairs back into the loading bay. Nick could pick up the commotion from Finnick's little distraction, the deers ears perked up.

"Whoa, what's going on in here?" the deer asked, a concerned expression on his face. Fortunately, they couldn't see any of the action from where they were standing.

"Ah, well we're just having a little going away party for one of our guys! And he's just a little emotional so we're trying to cheer him up."

The deer looked at him, raising an eyebrow, "Ahh, gotcha." He replied, nodding as he peered into the open door of the truck to see the pallet of rags that Nick had placed inside. He had arranged it in such a way that the dirty linens that appeared facing them were cleanest, and tried to make it seem as nice as possible. The deer closed the doors, seemingly annoyed that Nick had left them open, but didn't say anything.

"Eh, seems to be in order, let me give you that signature so you can get back to your party," The deer pulled a pen out of his pocket and clicked it as Nick happily handed over the clipboard.

"Have a good one!" The deer waved, heading back for the truck's cab.

Nick placed the clipboard where the polar bear had dropped it and pulled out his phone as he wandered over to the forklift. That signature would state that the goods were received and hopefully provide a good amount of time before anyone realized the switch. Flash would have a harder time selling if the load were reported stolen.

( Truck leaving, loading now ), he texted Flash, and re-pocketed the phone.

The truck that was loaded with rags finally began to pull away, leaving the open dock.

He looked over to the commotion, hoping no one had come to check on him. Finnick was high up in the rafters, several mammals were screeching at each other, demanding someone did something. The polar bear was trying to physically force the badger, to his extreme dismay, to climb up into the rafters and retrieve the little elephant. Oddly enough, none of them seemed to have called the fire department.

Nick leapt back into the forklift, scooped up the fabric pallet, and revved it over to the awaiting truck. Depositing the fabric he pulled the forklift back and abandoned it, giving Flash a hand sign in his sideview mirror that the goods were secured. The shutters on the back of the truck lowered as the truck began to depart.

 _Almost done here_ , Nick thought rubbing his paws together. He jogged over to the corner of the warehouse where the other mammals were panicking and yelling at each other.

"I can't believe this!" Nick screeched. Causing all the mammals to quiet down and look in his direction. Save for a pig that had passed out on the floor from the stress. He moved his way past the mammals and positioned himself under Finnick. "I bring my little boy to work ONCE, and you guys let _this_ happen!" He made a accusatory face as he waved both arms at the mischievous purple elephant. "Honestly, a single working father can't even trust his workplace to help keep on eye on his precious little buddy!"

Nick clapped his hands together as he stood underneath the rafters where Finnick had climbed, "Come on, big guy!"

A look of annoyance and apprehension flashed across what was visible of Finnick's face through the elephant's hood. It turned to bitter resolve as he let himself fall from the rafters. Several mammals gasped as the tiny elephant fell.

"Oof!" Nick huffed as he caught Finnick. "There we go, there we go! Everything's gonna be alright little buddy!" He glared at the other mammals in the room, all too petrified to respond. Another mammal, a wolf, let out a pitiful wail and passed out, his hard hat rolling off and clunking along the ground.

"You'll all be hearing from the Mammal Occupational Safety Commission! No one even bothered to call the fire department," Nick snorted furiously, pointing a sharp claw at the shamed lot, some of which had lowered their heads to avoid his accusatory glare. He briskly walked past them, and back outside to the van in the front parking lot.

Nick's heart was pumping; it had been a while since he pulled a hustle this risky... or blatantly illegal.

Still carrying Finnick, the larger fox hopped into the back of the van and set him down. Nick closed the doors while his partner hopped up to the driver's seat and started up the van. With a huff, still catching his breath, Nick plopped himself into the passenger seat as the van sped away.

* * *

 _June 5th, 20X8_

 _Evening_

 _Savannah Central_

Nick settled down onto his couch, and unbuttoned the suspenders of his overalls. He let out a relaxing groan as he stretched; he was still feeling the high he had gotten from the fabric job. The good part about the high-paying jobs is that they usually were finished earlier in the day, allowing Nick more time in the evening to relax.

Finnick had just dropped him off. They had driven around for a bit to make sure they weren't being followed.

He pulled out his phone and opened the messages he received from Flash. Each message being about 20 minutes apart.

( load sold )

( ur share is 4300 bucks )

( will stop by tomorrow with cash )

( that was fun )

( nice working with u guys again )

( keep in touch )

Nick smiled as he read the messages. Working with Flash did bring back some good memories.

( Nice working with you too, Flash. Glad I can still count on you, buddy ), Nick tapped.

He tossed the phone aside onto the couch as he stood up, and let the heavy overalls slide off him. _Not sure it this job was worth wearing these clothes…_.

He wandered over to the kitchen in his shirt and boxers and rummaged for something to eat. _Hah, made 4,300 bucks in one day! That brings my daily average for this year alone to what, 200 bucks? Even if I count the days I didn't work!_ He dug through his fridge, but nothing seemed to catch his eye, he didn't seem to be eating well the past two nights. _I'd like to see that rabbit make that much on a police salary._ Nick froze. He slowly straightened and closed the fridge. So this is why he had the sudden urge to pull a big job. He was trying to prove the bunny wrong, that he was more than a pawpsicle hustler.

He let out a whimper-y sigh as he trudged back to the couch, not feeling hungry anymore. He unbuttoned his shirt, leaving his tie on.

"Oh, Nicky-Nicky-Nicky-Nick… what did that little dumb bunny do to you…" he groaned as he fell back on the couch. His phone buzzed.

( I stopped by her place again, I'm going to talk to her this time )

 _Well, at least I'm not the only one with problems right now_ , Nick thought, chuckling quietly.

( Do it, Fin! You can't keep doing this to yourself, you guys can figure this out )

( Thanks, Nick. Today felt good, you know? We're good at this )

( I better get it over with before the high from the heist wears out, talk tomorrow ), Finnick continued.

( Yep, see you in the morning, bright and early )

Nick let his phone fall to the couch again. His apartment grew darker as the sun set. He stared around at his living room, his thoughts drifting. _Guess it won't hurt to fall asleep on the couch tonight._

His attention wandered: patterns on the wall, lights blinking on the electronics, sounds his refrigerator made, crevasses in the couch as he slid has paws around the fabric. He took in a deep breath. His mind was blank, only the occasional thought of a certain grey bunny. Those eyes, the way she looked at him… She was so disappointed. No one ever looked at Nick like that, everyone else always looked at Nick and saw him for what he was; A shifty, lowlife... fox. But she had thought better of him.

 _Well, sorry to disappoint, sweetheart._ Nick let out a big foxy yawn, as he let his eyes close. _What you see is what you get._


	3. Carrots

_June 6th, 20X8_

 _Before Dawn_

 _Savanna Central_

Finnick awoke from the sound of knocking on his van. His hangover made him curse the loudness of the knock. He grumbled as he picked himself up from the floor of the van, beer bottles clanking together as they haphazardly fell off of his blanket. Wearing only a pair of boxers, he stumbled around his dark van towards the source of the knock.

He opened the door, arm held up expecting to shield his eyes from sunlight. His arm dropped, seeing that the sun had yet to rise, and his smirking taller friend was standing there waiting for him.

"Hey buddy, wakey-wakey," The taller fox said in a tone Finnick was not in the mood for.

"Nick, why you here so early?" Finnick grumped. "What time is it?" He looked around for his phone.

Nick noticed his friend's van reeked of alcohol; he scrunched his nose and frowned.

"I take it last night didn't go so well..." He said with an empathetic tone.

Finnick picked up his phone and glared at him, but his expression quickly softened. "Nah, she made it clear she don't wanna see me right now, but… coulda gone worse," He shrugged.

Nick could tell from the beer bottles he was down-playing whatever happened last night; Finnick normally didn't drink that much unless he was really moody.

"Give it time, she can't stay mad forever," Nick said, a little more matter-of-factly than he intended. " _C'mon_ , need a hug? You know I don't like seeing my buddy all sour."

Finnick didn't reply, just focused on pulling on his elephant costume. The morning sun was still just managing to peak past the buildings, giving the hungover hustler time to hide his sensitive eyes behind an elephant hood. After securing himself inside his pachyderm persona, he looked to the front of the van, at the drivers seat. He closed his eyes and frowned, turning to Nick.

"Man, I really don't feel like driving right now, do you mind?" Finnick managed to say before a yawn. "My head is killing me."

It was difficult for Nick to see his friend like this. While Finnick did his best to hide it, Nick could tell he was hurting, and both of them were powerless to change the situation. But Finnick wasn't going to talk about it, at least not right now, and Nick knew better than to force him. Nick looked around the van, and grinned as he saw the stroller they used on occasion. He grabbed it and started setting it up outside the van.

"Here, we'll use this today okay, buddy?" Nick chirped in a motherly tone, "Hop in and you can get a little extra shut eye."

Finnick slowly let himself out of the van and watched Nick as he waved his hand enticingly over the baby stroller, eventually patting the seat.

"Man, if I didn't know any better..." The big-eared fox said as he walked over and hopped in. "But whatever, s'long as you're pushin'. Take me somewhere to get some Gator-ade, I don't think I'll survive dealing with a headache _and_ you all day."

Nick chuckled lightly in response as Finnick resigned himself to the child seat. Finnick pulled the sunshade down with a flick of his wrist and quickly went back to sleep.

* * *

 _June 6th, 20X8_

 _Morning_

 _Savanna Central_

"I don't know what you hope to find, I mean, how long has he been missing anyway?" Nick asked, speaking up. The traffic cart he was riding in was surprisingly loud considering how small it was.

"Eleven days," Judy replied. "And according to the date on the photo, you were seen with him the day he went missing."

"I guess you should probably arrest me now then," he said, resting his arm on the rabbit's head, causing her ears to fold over to one side. "For all you know I murdered him and turned him into pawpsicles."

Judy swatted at his arm with both hands, "Keep your arms to yourself!" She snapped as the buggy started to swerve into another lane.

"Whoa, OK! OK! Just keep an eye on the road!" Judy promptly grabbed the wheel and jerked it back into the lane, the larger car next to them honking as it braked hard to prevent an accident.

"Soooo, you get promoted?" Nick said after a period of silence.

"What?" Judy replied, raising her eyebrow.

"You're not writing parking tickets today," Nick said smugly.

Judy ignored him.

Nick stared into the busy streets as the rabbit drove them to the address he had given her in Sahara Square. The air was warming as they drove further away from Savanna Central.

 _Sahara Square_

"What kind of place is this?" Judy asked.

"Hmm _mmm_?"

"The place we're going— what did you mean it wasn't a place for... 'a cute little bunny.'"

Nick let some silence settle in before he spoke, enjoying the dramatic tension. "I guess you'll have to wait and see, don't wanna spoil the surprise," He said coyly as Judy parked the buggy on the curb.

 **The Mystic Springs Oasis** Judy read. Its architecture and decor matched the aesthetics of the nearby buildings, however, it was much more decorated and whimsical compared to the rundown and weathered look of some of the other buildings. It appeared as though they were in an older area, but the Oasis suggested it were a more recent construction, or at least a heavy renovation.

Judy surveyed the building before stepping out of the traffic cart. Nick looked for the carrot pen as she stood up. _Time to brush off the old pick pocketing skills,_ he grinned.

Nick hopped out of the buggy and sauntered around to stand next to Judy.

He deftly reached for the pouch on the back of her utility belt as she surveyed the building. His fingers ran along the edge of one flap, lifting slowly, then quickly with the shifting of her weight to hide his presence. It was up, a claw slipped in and—

Her paws clasped around his wrist. The world blurred as she yanked— he spun— the ground was gone and her leg was behind his— the sky, where did that come from? He was flat on his back, the gray rabbit looking smugly down at him, her paws clasped around his limp wrist. All he could manage was a weak gasp and wide eyes as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Ooo, now maybe I don't even need the pen. Trying to steal from an officer?" Judy said as the fox was regaining his wits. "That'll definitely buy you a trip to the precinct."

Nick stared at her as she let go of his wrist. He realized she was deceptively strong, much stronger than he was. His eyes were wide and ears down; of all the things he expected to happen and had prepared for, this was not one of them.

"I was..." Nick's smug look quickly reappeared on his face, "just wondering how soft bunny tails were. Figured I'd sneak a feel, sweetheart." His grin widened almost mockingly.

"Mm-hmm, _yeah_ , keep adding to the list, come on!" She said with an overly cheery yet antagonizing tone. She walked away as he staggered awkwardly to his feet.

"Now, carrots, if you ripped my nice shirt, I'm gonna send the bill to the department," Nick dusted himself off and adjusted his tie, which had loosened and was draped around his shoulder. Judy kept walking, trying to ignore him. "I'll have you know it probably cost a lot more than your getup, cute as it may be."

That got the reaction he was going for. She turned around, Nick had to reel back to avoid running into her. Nick kept his practiced grin up as he finished tightening his tie.

"Look, Mr. Wilde," She put her hands on her hips and closed her eyes. "Nick, I'm just gonna call you Nick. I'm just trying to do my job, and to do that, I need just a _little bit_ of your cooperation," she managed a forced, patronizing smile.

"Ah, and ma'am and you have it, 100%," He looked offended.

"Really, because all you've done so far is make me realize that I know very few other mammals as aggravating as you!"

"Oh, you're so _adorable_ when you're angry. Oh, I can't wait to see what you look like when we actually get in there," he pointed to the building they were standing in front of.

"Fox, you're going to want to stop talking now," she held up her hand and forced herself to grin. His constant use of ways to call her cute was grating on her nerves.

" _Fox_? Oh, first name basis lost in less than 30 seconds. Nick, you may have broken your record," Nick was enjoying harassing her immensely.

"OK, what is your problem?" She shifted her weight to her right hip as she crossed her arms. "I—"

"Oh, I _don't know_!" Nick interrupted quickly, "I was just in the middle of working, trying to make my honest living. Ah, ah! Aaand!" He held up a defensive paw as Judy scoffed and threw her paws up in the air, incredulous and amused. "Aaand!" Nick continued, "Along comes this little bunny, who I do so _enjoy_ the company of, by the way. Threatening to arrest me, _doesn't even ask_ me how my day is going," Nick was loving the outraged reactions that were cycling through the rabbit's face. "And forces, cajoles, and _coerces_ me to join her on this delusional little quest of proving to the world that you can be a real cop. Am I leaving anything out?" Nick gave her the widest grin he could manage.

But with that, her demeanor had shifted unexpectedly. She figured out what he was doing. And she could play too. She simply smiled back sweetly, her arms crossed.

The fox suddenly lost his nerve but his face remained unchanged; he was wholly unprepared for her push-back. She was playing him at his own game, and she was already winning, catching him off guard as he was on the offense. But Nick wasn't about to show her that.

"You done?" Judy said smugly, her voice dripping with a sickening sweetness.

"Oh, I'm just getting started, country girl," Nick clasped his paws together. "But, as much as I enjoy taking a break from our little adventure, we _are_ standing in direct sunlight." Nick realized he was getting pretty hot, and he had to resist the urge to start panting. "This place has a **great** pool, what do you say we get in there and change into something more _comfortable!_ " Nick started to walk past the bunny, hoping his choice of words would confuse her, but she wasn't letting her mocking grin budge. He reached the door and held it open invitingly, gesturing for her to take the lead. He would get his revenge very soon.

Judy uncrossed her arms and walked past him. Maybe he wasn't as unbreakable as he seemed, she thought.

* * *

 _June 6th, 20X8_

 _Before Noon_

 _Sahara Square_

"We are not stopping there..."

"Look. I realize that you're trying to be super cop, but us mere mortals need to eat. Not to mention, I kinda have to go to the bathroom."

"You went to the bathroom like 10 minutes ago!" Judy sighed, referring to when they were at the naturalist club. Judy still trying to piece together her thoughts after the shock of visiting the place.

"OK, but I have to go again. Can we _please_ just stop at that Chevram over there? I'm sure you're getting hungry too."

"No, thank you, I am _not_ eating anything from a gas station," Judy realized she was getting pretty hungry, she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday when she took the case. The stress of the ticking clock leading to her resignation was enough to keep hunger at bay.

"Oh, I know this great food stand that's near here. They've got great veggie burritos," There was a pause, if it wasn't for all the noise, he could've sworn he heard the rabbit's stomach growling. "Come on, my treat," he drew out the word 'treat', as if saying it longer would entice Judy further.

Judy was caught off guard, "I... yeah I guess we could use a break." The gesture that the fox would treat her to lunch made her suspicious, but she was too hungry to care.

"That's the spirit, I'll buy you the most carrot-y burrito they have!" Nick said victoriously, patting her on the back roughly.

"OK, you're assuming that just because I'm a Rabbit, I must like carrots."

"Here, turn here," Nick said pointing the way to the food cart.

If she was going to keep him on the hook for another day and a half, he might as well have some fun. He pulled out his phone.

( Hey Flash, buddy, can you do me a favor? Old time's sake? )

Nick put the phone back in his pocket, it was going to be a few minutes before he got a reply.

( sup )

( So I got myself in a pickle, I'm on my way to the DMV with a cop. Long story! I just need you to do to a code red for me )

( copy )

Nick grinned and nodded to himself, _still got it_

 _Savanna Central_

"Soo... do you _not_ like them?" Nick asked, noticing the bunny staring absent-mindedly into her notebook as the two waited in line at the taco cart, one line for larger mammals, and another for the smaller.

Judy looked back to Nick, confused, "Like? Like what?"

"Carrots. I guess I could just call you Karate Kit. Which by the way, that little take down you did, _very_ impressive," Nick made some chopping gestures in the air with his paws. Judy stared at him, raising an eyebrow, still confused at the question about liking carrots.

"On the way here, you said I assumed you liked carrots because you were a rabbit," Nick reminded.

"Oh…! Yeah, I like carrots!" She worried about giving the wrong idea about the nickname, well, one of several nicknames he had given her. "Er, the vegetable! My name is Hopps, fox," She gave him a stern look. "And I just happen to be a rabbit that likes carrots, not all rabbits like carrots you know."

"Well, good, 'rabbit who happens to like carrots', because these guys make the best burritos. I don't care for carrots myself, _the vegetable_ , so I don't know how good theirs are."

She hummed slightly annoyed at him; he had found another "nickname" to use. "A carrot _burrito_? OK, I don't like carrots _that_ much, do they have black beans?"

"Ahhh, a rabbit of refined taste, coming right up, officer," Nick said in a posh voice.

They were next in line, the smell from the grill started to make Judy's mouth water.

"Hey, bub, what'll you guys have?" The beaver manning the shorter food cart asked to Nick.

"Black bean burrito for Officer Tough Enough over here," Nick grinned teasingly as he glanced at the bunny, who scoffed. "No onions, she's a bunny. And mahi mahi burrito for me, oh and can you lose the cilantro? That stuff tastes like soap to me."

"So the Mahi Mahi's not quite cooked yet, s'gonna be about 15 minutes, that cool?" The beaver said, chopping up the grilling veggies with a spatula.

"Oh, yes, your guys' Mahi Mahi is worth the wait," He looked at the bunny again as she nudged him.

"Nick! We're in a hurry here!" She seethed.

"Oh! So I'm Nick again? Well, Nick needs to eat, and only the finest fish burrito will do. If you calm down I'll even let you have a taste," he almost sounded sincere as he stood aside to let the next mammal order.

"Nick, I told you we have a time limit!" Judy snapped. "And I can't eat fish!"

"Well, sorry! It's just that a little rabbit taught me the value of not assuming dietary preference based on species!" He rubbed her head as she swatted at his hands.

"Well, at least you're buying," Judy grinned at him, crossing her arms.

"Well, you're right about—" Nick checked his pockets, a worried look overtook his face and his ears lowered. "Oh. You. Are. _Kidding_ me. Oh, I forgot my wallet! I don't _believe_ this." He shook his head and shrugged.

Judy looked at him, her ears flopped down, eyes wide.

"Oh, sorry, Judo Judy," Nick looked apologetically at the rabbit. "I swear, my memory just isn't there today, do you mind? I'll pay ya back, pinkie swear!" He wiggled a clawed pinky.

Judy looked at him through squinted eyes. _How did I not see this coming…_

* * *

Nick took a sip of his black coffee, humming at the warmth and bitterness. He was going to need that coffee, especially if he was going to be up for the next 30-some odd hours, sooner if he got the rabbit that was dragging him along to give up her ridiculous mission.

"Mmm?" He hummed at the driving rabbit, offering her a sip of coffee.

"Yuck, no thanks. It's black," The rabbit replied. She was frustrated with him, but her determination to lead to the next clue kept those feelings from showing. She had to pay for lunch, and Nick asked to stop at a coffee shop. Suddenly he remembered that his wallet was in his back pocket when she refused to buy him coffee.

Nick took another annoyingly loud sip, trying to shake a feeling from his mind. She had looked at him again, a look of disappointment. Several small looks actually. It had an effect on him that confused him, _frustrated_ him. He felt as though he had to get back at her for it somehow. He relished watching how emotive the rabbit could be, especially when frustrated.

The two sat in the gridlocked traffic; the lunchtime rush was in full swing. Their shared silence grew amidst the sounds of the city.

"So, what's your deal?" Nick spoke up, "Why do you only have 30 hours to solve this case? I know rabbits are fast, but that's just asking for trouble."

Judy wasn't about to tell him the real reason, that her job was on the line, a job she had worked her whole life up to this point to achieve. She hesitated, thinking of what to tell him.

"I mean," Nick continued, "If he's been missing for almost 2 weeks, you think they would have put more than one cop on this. I mean, it is an _honor_ being your humble 'partner', but something doesn't sound right…"

Judy stayed quiet. She didn't know what to say, it _was_ strange, why was there seemingly no effort by the police to find Mr. Otterton? _It doesn't matter, I have leads, I can do this_ , Judy nodded, giving herself a smile, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. "I can do this," She vocalized confidently. "One step at a time, we'll find out where he went."

Nick was surprised at her sudden change in demeanor, _impressed_ would be the better word. "Well, you aren't short for spirit, I'll give you that," he said.

The rabbit was unsure if he was trying to give her a sincere compliment, but she flashed a smile at him anyway.

"So Detective Judo," Nick made karate chop motion with his free hand again, "What do you think happened to him? Think he might have run out on the misses? Found some other little otter that he had his eye on?" He sipped from his coffee noisily, wriggling his eyebrow up and down at her.

Judy looked at him with a hint of disgust. "Really? That's the first thing the comes to mind for you?"

Nick raised his paws, " _Well_ , a mammal his age, you'd be surprised how often it happens."

"No, I mean— think about it, he comes to you to buy a popsicle, goes to a naturalist club for yoga, doesn't seem like he was planning on eloping from his family."

"Aha, and that's why you're the detective!" He pointed a finger at her, "So why am I still here? Your first case, a case I'm _guessing_ has something on the line for you, and you decide to come to your _best friend_ in the whole city, for help?"

Traffic started clearing, the pace of driving picking up. Nick chugged the rest of his now cooled coffee and tossed the cup on the road.

"Nick!" Judy scolded.

"What?" Nick grinned at her, "You gonna give me a ticket? I thought we were fwiends!" He leaned into her, she quickly pushed him away, causing the traffic cart to swerve.

"Look, the _only_ reason I came to you was because the _only_ clue I had was a picture of Emmitt Otterton eating a familiar-looking pawpsicle, and a familiar-looking tail walking the other direction."

Nick tilted an eyebrow, "Wait, you recognized me by my tail? I'm flattered, but I'm sure you realized there are other foxes that live in Zootopia..."

"Yes, but how many have your fashion sense?" Judy gave him an amused look-over and shook her head. She popped the last piece of her burrito into her mouth and hummed dismissively.

Nick mocked offense, "Ah, officer, I'll have you know that I'm told that my attire goes quite well with my natural foxy visage."

Judy stifled a laugh. He looked at her; the way emotions lit up her face amused him. Was amusing the right word? Nick wasn't too sure.

"Ha! So you _can_ laugh!" Nick teased.

Judy looked slightly embarrassed as she flicked off a stray grain of rice on her chin. But she was enjoying having her mind taken off the case, even just for a bit. "OK, Nick, why do you wear those tacky clothes? You were wearing the exact same thing the last time I saw you."

"They are _not_ tacky," Nick shot back, though she couldn't tell if he was actually offended or not. "I happen to like these clothes, I have like 4 of this same shirt. They also happen to be silk, and very comfortable. Perfect for work, play, and sleep."

Judy recalled his comment about how his clothes cost more than her uniform. _Does he actually sleep with those clothes on?_ , Judy snickered.

Noticing her amusement, he continued, "Hey, when you're good at what you do, you have to look the part, right?" He purposefully left himself open to a quip from Judy, one which she visibly considered making. Instead, she just shot a glance at him, then quickly looked back at the road. She kept her mouth as straight as she could, but her cheeks and eyes gave away her cheer. She did look rather cute when she was happy, especially when her front buck teeth showed in her rabbity smile.

 _She's tougher than she looks, even if she is naive… Maybe if things were different, we could have been friends, and she wouldn't have to look at me with disappointment_ , he thought as the two quieted down, the traffic buggy pulling into the DMV parking lot. He shook his head, as if the thoughts would be scrambled by the force of the motion. She wasn't his friend, he didn't want to be here, he'd rather be working, she was taking up his time, costing him money. She was blackmailing him, and _no_ one blackmailed Nicholas Wilde. _The world doesn't work the way you think it does, sweetheart. You're gonna have a lot more than me to be disappointed about._

* * *

Judy was fuming, and in a daze at how long this was taking. She laid her head on Flash's counter, drooling, as he finished up telling a tenth mammal the same stupid pregnant camel joke. Was it the tenth? Judy had lost count what seemed like hours ago. She wasn't even sure if it was the same joke.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't interrupt the sluggishness of the easily distracted sloth. Being a rabbit, she had to occasionally file her teeth as a lagomorph's never stopped growing. She found herself grinding them now in frustration and even considered gnawing on the counter.

"Nick… will you please do something," Judy groaned, slowly raising her head from the counter and letting gravity take it back down with a soft thud.

"Hey Flash? Do you guys have any coffee?" Nick asked cheerily, giving her an encouraging nod.

 _Great idea! Maybe coffee will get this sloth moving faster!_ Judy thought, finally perking up.

"Sure"

"Do!"

"Made a"

"Fresh"

"Batch"

"Just"

"Recently," the sloth replied while Judy silently mouthed each agonizingly slow word, as if it could make him speak faster.

"Great, I could _really_ go for a cup, would you mind?" Nick politely asked.

"NO! What are you _doing_? You just had coffee on the way here!" Judy exclaimed loudly, the anger starting to bubble within her. The other mammals still left in the DMV looked over to her, and Judy could swear she saw a tiny smirk appear on Flash's slow face. She looked around, slightly embarrassed.

"Some coffee for my friend here too, she's getting a little cranky because she didn't have her wittle nappy-wappy," Nick patted her on the head again, though she didn't swat him away this time, only glaring at him with resentful eyes, her brow down as far as it could go. "And some cream for the rabbit— she doesn't take her coffee black."

"You"

"Got it"

"One black"

"Coffee"

"And"

"One"

"With cream"

"For our"

"Girl in"

"Blue," the sloth said, as he began his pilgrimage to the coffee maker a few desks away.

Nick could not stop from grinning; the amount of ways that the rabbit could show frustration, contempt, and absolute helplessness on her face was astounding, and Nick quietly catalogued each precious facial expression.

"Thanks, Flash, buddy, hope you don't mind us treating you like a barista," Nick said, as Flash had moved only a few inches away and was still well within earshot.

Flash stopped and looked over his shoulder, raising his paw in what seemed like a dismissive gesture. Judy couldn't tell as the movement was so painfully slow.

"Don't"

"Mention"

"It,"

"Nick."

"Happy to"

"Serve," Flash said, allowing his hand to completely lower before he started walking again.

Judy grumbled loudly as she lowered herself to the floor and sat against the counter, bringing her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She began pounding the back of her head against the front of the counter. Her eyes wide open and a wide grin plastered on her face, she started humming to try to keep herself from shouting obscenities.

Nick bent over, putting his hands on his knees to get a better look at the bunny. He gave her his usual grin. She ignored him and kept at her head pounding, humming louder.

"Hey, tell you what, fluff," he said in a comforting yet contrived tone, "I'm gonna go help Flash with the coffee, see if we can get us out of here faster, OK, bunny buddy?"

Her only answer was a strained sound resembling something between humming and barely suppressed rage, so he shrugged and straightened out. Flash was nearly to the coffee maker. He hopped over the counter, getting a few looks from some of the mammals waiting in line.

"So Flash, hey buddy, thanks for helping me out," Nick whispered as he neared the creeping sloth.

"Sure," Flash whispered back. "What's the"

"Story?"

"Hah, oh it's a long one, short version is I got blackmailed into being a Jr. Cop for the day," Nick said, pulling at the police sticker on his front pocket.

"Rough," Flash said, giving Nick a slow smile. The sloth had finally reached the coffee maker.

"Just wait till I tell you the full story once I lose the bunny."

Flash started pouring the coffee. "And"

"Finnick?" Flash asked using as few words as possible.

"Eh, he's not doing so good," Nick started. "He got drunk last night— was in bad shape when I picked him up this morning…Girlfriend's still not talking to him, so he's taking it out on himself…" Nick's grin faded, feeling guilty for not being able to help his friend.

"Sad," Flash frowned at the news. He finally finished pouring the first cup, sliding it slowly to Nick, reaching for another empty one. Nick took the coffee and took in the aroma. "I wish"

"I could"

"Help."

"Eh, just give it time. Work's been keeping us busy, I'm planning on some more complicated routines to keep his mind off things," Nick's grin returned, proud of the hustles he had planned out for the next few weeks.

"You're a"

"Good friend"

"Nick," Flash gave Nick a slow smile, starting to pour the second coffee.

"It's the least I could do. Fins' always been there for me. Considering all that's happened the last few years," Nick let out a sigh, his ears drooping slightly.

"Got your"

"Back"

"too, Nick," Flash finished pouring the second cup, and reached for the small metal pitcher full of cream.

"I know, bud, thanks," He swirled his coffee around in its cup and took a sip.

"Speaking"

"Of work:"

"Envelope"

"At my"

"Desk," Flash poured creamer into the second coffee.

"Your share"

"From yesterday."

* * *

 _June 6th, 20X8_

 _It's Night?!_

 _Savanna Central_

"Don't suppose you're in the mood for some fast-food curry?" Nick grinned, the bunny gawking at how dark it had gotten while they were in the DMV.

Judy broke out into a jog to the traffic buggy, the only other vehicle in the parking lot.

"Come on!" Judy shouted. "Tundra Town!"

Nick smiled, sauntering after her at a more comfortable pace. _Energy, man has she got it_ , he thought. Being a fox, Nick was naturally inclined to be nocturnal, so he felt a bit more energetic at night. That, plus the coffee he had earlier in the day left him "awake," but nothing could give him the limitless energy and child-like enthusiasm that this rabbit had.

Nick stopped walking, Judy had started the buggy and started to drive off. _Wow, she's so excited she forgot about me,_ he chuckled to himself. Judy swung around the cart and drove it up to Nick, who had only managed to make it half-way through the parking lot.

"Come on! Get in already!" Judy shouted, thumping her foot against the floor of the cart. Despite all her annoyance at dealing with the bureaucratic sloths, her vigor was reignited with the finding of the new lead.

Nick rolled his eyes and shrugged. _Eh, I managed to waste a good amount of time._ He recounted how Flash managed to take a huge chunk out of Judy's time limit. _Couldn't hurt to humor her_ , he ran towards the cart and jumped onto the side, grabbing onto the roof to cause the cart to lean on its front bumper. He put his paw over his eyes, pretending to block the sun as he scanned the streetlight-lit horizon. "Tundra town, thatta way!" He exclaimed and with an exaggerated gesture, he swung his paw around in the air and pointed somewhat in the direction of Tundra Town. Judy giggled, at which Nick simply just repeated his goofy gesture. "Tundra town, that _a-way_!", he repeated.

Judy pressed on the gas peddle, causing the cart to move forward; tilted. The front scrapped along the ground and caused sparks to fly up, and gave a horrible grinding noise. The rabbit and fox grimaced, and Judy took her foot off the peddle. The two looked at each other wide-eyed.

"Nick—!"

"Yeah, I'll just sit down, good idea carrot-fluff!", Nick sat in the car, letting it settle to a position that would allow forward motion. If Nick wasn't awake before, he certainly was now. Either out of the embarrassment or the way Judy started giggling cautiously as she drove the cart forward, hoping there was no permanent damage to the cart. The cart sped off down the semi-deserted road.

 _Tundra Town_

"So, we find this limo, what then?" Nick asked, trying to shake the adrenaline gained from acting like a kit back at the DMV.

"Well, we'll see what can find in the car—"

" _If_ they let us in the car," Nick corrected, his breath leaving a dense wispy fog as they drove through the icy streets, "You think they're just gonna let some rabbit and fox go snooping in their fancy limos?"

"A rabbit _police officer_ ", she corrected proudly.

"Right… look Carrots, your little outfit didn't impress me when we first met, what makes you think anyone else will be?" He said, shooting her a dark glance.

Judy hesitated, confused. Whenever the fox would make a friendly gesture or show earnest intent in helping her solve her case, he would do or say something that brought them back to their first meeting two days ago. Poisonous, callous words that seeped into her mind. She thought he could be better than that, that she could be so bold as to trust a fox.

Then she remembered; the carrot pen— she _had_ coerced him into cooperation, and he was there against his will. But she had no choice, without Nick, she would lose any chance she had at finding Emmitt, and keeping her job.

 _Fine,_ she thought, _we don't have to be friends, after I find Emmitt, you can go back to your life, and I can go back to mine._

Nick looked over to the bunny, expecting a look of disappointment. But all he saw on her face as she drove was… indifference, and, in a way, defeat; that she would stop expecting anything more from the con-artist fox and accept that he was what he was.

He smirked, _Told you, sweetheart, when it all comes down to it, life is all about fair trade, and in this city, you get what you pay for._

Judy pulled over the cart, the negativity seemingly washed away from her as she stepped out, "OK! Here we are, let's find that Otter."


	4. Moleone Wedding

**Notes 6/18/2017:** I've gone ahead and edited this chapter the change Tony's name. Turns out Arctic shrews are not a type of vole, but a mole. Fortunately, the words are similar enough to still allow me to keep his name similar :) Thanks to Jack_Kellar for pointing this out.

* * *

 _June 6th, 20X8_

 _Before Midnight_

 _Tundra Town_

 _Moleone Family Villa_

The wedding was starting to wind down, Fru Fru and her new husband had gone to bed to leave early the next day for their honeymoon. Judy had gotten her next clue, and they were headed to check out Mr. Manchas's house in the Rainforest District. Mr. Big had given the jaguar as much time as he needed to recover from Mr. Otterton's unexpected attack.

"When was Mr. Manchas interviewed by the police?" Judy asked, though she knew what the answer was going to be.

"He wasn't," Mr. Big replied plainly, "I advised him to report the incident, and he assured me that he has, and I even contacted the police department to allow them to investigate the limo, which is why it hasn't been touched since. But it seems the matter was… pushed aside. I wish I could give you a better answer, we don't know why the police showed no interest in investigating."

"No, this is great," Judy was obviously puzzled, but excited that there was another lead, a witness even. "You've been a great help! Thank you so much, Mr. Big."

"Tony, Tony Moleone," The shrew replied. "You may call me Tony, my child."

Nick was startled. Although his name wasn't a secret, Mr. Big only gave away his name to trusted associates, even fewer were allowed to call him by his first name.

"Thank you, Tony!" Judy gave him a jubilant smile.

"Don't mention it, I only ask one thing in return, if I may," Tony returned the smile. "Please, find Emmitt Otterton, and let me know what happened to him as soon as you can."

Judy nodded, "Of course, I'll let you know as soon as I find him."

"He is a very dear friend," Tony gestured graciously, "I hope he is returned safely to his family. I am relieved to see he will be handled by a capable officer." He smiled at the rabbit sincerely.

Judy could feel her pride rise, Tony was the first since arriving in Zootopia to give her a vote of confidence.

"Thank you again, Tony. I can't tell you how much Nick and I appreciate this."

"Yes, speaking of Nick…" Tony snapped his fingers at the large polar bear. Nick flinched at hearing his name from the shrew. "If you'll excuse my rudeness, I would like to speak with Nick alone if I may." Tony picked up his glass of wine and finished it off.

"Oh, of course," Judy replied, wondering what he would want to speak with Nick about.

"Let's speak in private, shall we, kid?" The shrew was lifted up by Kazlov, the largest of the bears present.

Nick could feel his pulse quicken, Mr. Big had not called him "kid" since they had worked together, years ago. "Sha- uh, sure." He glanced nervously at Judy as he got up, she looked back at him, shrugging.

Nick hopped down from his chair at the table where the wedding reception had taken place and followed the polar bear out of the pavilion, snow crunching beneath his paws. The bear turned to face Nick, displaying Mr. Big in his open claws.

There was a moment of silence.

"Nicky," Mr. Big began, "Nicky, how've you been?"

Nick knew there was going to be a main question; it was a habit of Mr. Big's to begin with some small talk.

"Me?" Nick started, still nervous. "Oh, I've been good, I've kept myself busy."

"Relax kid, I just want to talk, we can put that whole thing behind us. Please, let us talk as mammals." Mr Big assured.

Nick let out a cautious sigh after a moment of hesitation.

"Now, I know you still work with Mike, how's he been?" Mr. Big asked, Nick took a few seconds to process who Mr. Big was asking about.

"Mike, he's… he goes by Finnick now, and he's OK. Caught up in some girl troubles lately," Nick explained, "Me and him— we've been getting by, you know, doing our own thing," He put his clenched paws in his pockets, a habit of hiding his nervous tension. He noticed he was taking in shallow breaths, and tried to calm himself down. "He's been doing better since the accident, still having trouble forgetting, but he's doing better…"

"Good, good. I hope he gets his issues sorted, a mammal his age needs a good girl to be with. He needs to learn that he can't keep blaming himself for what happened; tragic as it was, he wasn't to blame, and he should know that I don't harbor any resentment," Mr. Big nodded deliberately, knowingly. Another pause settled in. "Nicky, I wanna ask you one thing."

 _Here it comes,_ Nick could feel himself becoming panicked again.

"I know I can hold a grudge," Mr. Big continued. "But what you did, was… out-of-character. After a few years, I've been able to forgive, but not forget, and in this business, you cannot forget these trespasses… Why did you not come to me? Why didn't you trust me as I have trusted you?"

Nick stared at Mr. Big, knowing he was talking about the incident with the rug, or rugs, more appropriately. It was years ago, but the memory was still a fresh sore.

"After I told you never to show your face again, I had suspicions that vixen _friend_ of yours would move in on your territory and ask to take up the space you left," the shrew explained. "I had a few of my mammals keep an eye on her."

Nick's eyes went wide, then narrowed slowly. Of all the mammals to bring up… "You mean… Pythia…?"

"That's the one," nodded the shrew. "You had your heart set on that one for some time, I saw it in your eyes."

Nick shook his head, slouching, he looked around the snowy landscaping. He had gotten over Pythia. The wounds had healed, leaving a bitter reminder that opening yourself up to another only leaves you vulnerable. _This_ is what Mr. Big wanted to talk about?

"Love does strange things to us, my child," Mr. Big continued, knowing what Nick was going through. "If you had only come to me when it first happened, maybe things would not have turned out the way they did. But... merely wishful thinking. What's done is done."

Nick couldn't meet Mr. Big's eyes, he was too ashamed. He knew the shrew was right, but the younger him just didn't think things through. Hindsight was ever clearer on what he should have done.

"Nicky, look at me," Mr. Big urged strongly, yet compassionately.

Nick forced himself to look at the mob boss, sighing through his nose. He had left the thoughts of his past love behind, he didn't want to talk about it. This was none of Mr. Big's business.

"I suspected that Pythia framed you, so after I sent you away, I kept an eye on the vixen," Mr. Big continued. "But… I was unable to prove anything; shortly after you left, she disappeared."

Nick blinked, unable to understand. "She disappeared? She's _gone_?" He had always assumed that Pythia would still be working with Mr. Big, taking Nick's place, he had assumed that's what she was after all along. But to disappear right after ruining Nick's career? "What… what happened to her?"

"That's the strange part," He leaned forward and waved a pointed finger at Nick, "We don't know where she went, I sent people to her home, anywhere we thought she might be. But it was completely empty, as if no one had ever lived there… it was as if… as if she never existed." The shrew spoke delicately, careful with every phrase's effects on the fox's demeanor. "We even checked with the property owners, the city, there were no records of her... _anyone_ living there…"

Nick didn't know what to think, it was all so… _bizarre…_ he pondered. _She rips my heart out, ruins me… and then disappears?!_

"Why are you telling me this?" Nick said hesitantly. It's true that this did concern him, but he didn't live that life anymore. "I don't know where she went, if that's what you're asking."

"No, I'm not asking that, and I know this is hard to hear, after so many years. But I suspect I know where she went."

"You think this has anything to do with the otter's disappearance?" Nick asked, deep in thought.

Mr. Big shook his head, "I do not know. What I do know is both cases are suspicious and both seem to involve you. I want you to find her— I'm not asking because I know you want revenge, but _closure_ is an important thing, and it's something you've been denied for a long time. But, I do ask that you find Otterton first… we can discuss this again when he is safe."

Nick's head was swimming, but he nodded at the mafia don.

"Good. And one more thing," the don continued "What's with the uh… why are you with the cop? You some kinda private investigator now? Some job you're working with Mike?" He asked, with more curiosity than suspicion.

Nick chuckled, and shook his head. "Oh, that's a little… _complicated_ ". He gave the short version of how the rabbit had conned him into helping with her case, how he doubted her abilities as an officer, and was trying to take up her time, earning a few laughs from the old mammal.

"Ah, Nicky, she's made it this far, even with your… 'assistance.'" Mr. Big said in her defense, "She's a lot more capable than she looks. After all, look at me, size can be deceiving, kid. Look at Mike— Finnick."

Nick gave that some thought. Maybe she was tougher than her appearance would show. But she still had a lot of learning to do. He sighed, relenting, and glanced back at the bunny in the pavilion. She was chatting cheerily with a few of the tiny guests who were still sitting at the table, which put a smile on his muzzle. She could make friends anywhere, he mused. "Yeah, I suppose it can't hurt to give her a chance."

"Good, then let us rejoin your officer friend," Mr. Big redirected his attention to the polar bear, snapping his fingers gently. "Kazlov, take us back to our rabbit guest."

The trio walked back under the pavilion. Judy turned around in her seat, noting Nick looked lost in thought, and somewhat forlorn.

"Thank you both for attending my daughter's wedding," Tony said, "It's just past midnight, would you two like to stay the night? I can have guest rooms prepared, should you need to rest before continuing your investigation."

"Oh, thank you," Judy began, remembering they had few precious hours left to solve the case, "but we really should get going. Finding Mr. Otterton is our utmost priority right now."

"Then I'll have a limo prepared for you out front shortly," the shrew smiled, nodding, "Mr. Manchas should still be awake at his home in the Rainforest District. He was one of my night drivers as he was naturally nocturnal." He snapped his fingers at the bear carrying him, the bear began to turn towards the mansion. "Thank you both again, I wish you luck. If you'll excuse me…"

Judy got down from her chair and walked over to Nick, giving him a concerned smile. "You alright, slick?"

Nick shook himself from his daze and gave her a weak smile in return. "I'm fine, everything's good," he replied, giving her a friendly flick on her ear. She swatted at him, giving an annoyed giggle. "You ready to get out of here, fluff?"

She was already headed towards the limo. He watched the energetic bunny hop away, before jogging after her.


	5. New Friends

_June 7th, 20X8_

 _After Midnight_

 _Tundra Town_

"You should get some sleep, carrots," the fox said, his mind elsewhere, "I'll wake you up when we get there."

The rabbit did look tired, it had been a very long day. She didn't sleep well last night, having spent most of the previous day looking up Nick's past, trying to find something, _anything_ , that would help her convince him to help with the case.

The two sat on opposite sides of the rear seat in the limo. The occasional street lamp briefly illuminated the car's interior through its tinted windows.

"How long until we get there, do you think?" The rabbit looked over to the fox, who was watching the snowy landscape pass by, his eyes barely able to reach the bottom of the window from his seated position. The zebra driver up front had closed the partition after introducing himself and confirming where they were going.

"Mmm," The fox thought, taking out his phone, "looks like the driver's taking ID-115, though this time of night, there's only nocturnal drivers out. Should take about forty, maybe fifty minutes to get to Vine. Good time for a quick nap."

Although the fox didn't look sad, Judy noted that he didn't seem like his usual self. He had not made any sarcastic quips or attempts at being annoying since meeting with Tony. There was a damper on his usual mischievous attitude.

"What about you?" Judy asked.

"I'm OK. Besides, usually more awake at night," He replied, giving her a quick grin. But the grin vanished as he looked back out the window, the lights of the eternally snowy district slowly moving by.

Judy considered going to sleep as she watched the mesmerizing lights through the windows with Nick.

"We're moving pretty fast for such an icy road," came Judy's attempt at small talk. "We haven't slipped on the road at all."

"Yeah, _well_ ," Nick's quick smile returned as he glanced back at her, "the roads here in Tundra town are designed to deal with year-round snow. Some kind of wires—coils in the roads, and in most Zootopian-made tires, helps the tires stick to the roads better with some... electric-sciency… thing."

"Electro-magnetism?" Judy offered, smiling at his attempt.

Nick nodded, "Yeah, that sounds right."

"How does it work…? That many coils would make lots of magnetic fields all over the roads."

"Zoogle, they have some servers that tracks all of the cars and controls the fields, that's about as much as I know," He made a mental note to look it up sometime, just so he had something to have a conversation about.

"Wow, we don't have anything like that back at home— in Bunnyburrow. We still have dirt roads in many areas."

"Well, the mammals in this city came up with a lot of solutions just so all of us can live here."

"Like that big… temperature controlling wall?" Judy recalled, her voice beginning to drift off.

"Mmm'yeah, that's one of them."

"This city... it's pretty amazing..."

Nick recalled the explosion from the news about two days ago. He thought of bringing it up, letting her know that with technology comes its own problems, but decided against it. "Well, I grew up here so this is normal to me. But I know what you mean, I take it you haven't really had the chance to really tour much of the city yet, have you?"

Nick turned his attention to the bunny only to see her asleep. She was still sitting upright, her head leaning to one side.

Nick's gaze lingered on her for a moment, he thought about going to sleep himself, there was no telling when he'd be allowed another opportunity for sleep by the relentless rabbit until she- _they_ found the missing otter.

He thought back to what Mr. Big had told him, about Pythia, and his old life. _Three years ago I was on top of the world, working with the city's most powerful mammals... now... this cute 20-something bunny fresh out of the police academy calls the shots_. He chuckled and turned back to the window. The evenly spaced streetlights had stopped; they were crossing into some mountain ranges that separated the northern part of Tundra Town with the Rainforest District. _Nick-Nick-nick... It could be a lot worse. You could've been 'iced' tonight. And who knows what I'm getting into with this mammal disappearance business,_ his eyes felt heavy, he yawned a big foxy yawn, _I'm sure the driver will wake us up once we get there. It_ ** _is_** _nice and warm in this limo…_

He fished out his phone, pulling out the charger cable built into the door of the limo and plugging it in. He checked his messages.

3 were from Finnick;

( Nick, you done with that bunny cop yet? )

( Man, she musta locked you up )

( Going to bed, don't wake me up if you in jail, don't wanna hear it )

And 1 from Flash;

( cute bunny, temper tho, good luck )

He looked once more at the sleeping rabbit, she was making little snores as her chest rose and fell. He grinned, _yep… dumb bunny_.

* * *

 _June 7th, 20X8_

 _Early Morning_

 _Rainforest District, The Canopy_

"But I have a friend at City Hall who might!" Judy grinned confidently.

"City Hall?" Nick looked surprised at Judy.

"Yes, Assistant Mayor Bellwether!"

"Really? Great! Then I guess we have our next destination," Nick said excitedly, but then looked at Judy skeptically. "How do you know the Assistant Mayor?"

Judy thought for a moment. Though she had only met her twice before, the bubbly sheep seemed quick on befriending her, citing how little guys should 'stick together'.

"Like glue," Judy repeated confidently out loud.

"Huh?" The fox gave a quizzical look, "glue...?"

"Uh, she actually stopped by while the chief—" Judy recalled that Nick had already met him, "that buffalo you met back there—"

"Uh-huh, yeah I figured."

"While the chief was... giving me the Otterton case." Judy recalled, "she's uh... probably the only reason why I'm not already fired..."

"He tried firing you _then,_ too?" Nick asked, concerned but not terribly surprised.

Judy folded her arms on the front railing of the cable car, resting her chin on them. "Long story— it doesn't matter now, I'm going to solve this case and prove to the chief that I can handle my badge."

Nick smiled at Judy's positivity. Even when the odds were against her in ways she didn't even see, she was positive, confident in herself. Nick positioned himself next to Judy, leaning on the railing next to her.

"Well, long story or not, the next cable car stop is coming up, then we'll need a ride to City Hall, save the story for then?"

"Sure thing," Judy returned the smile, taking out her phone. "I can give Tony a call, see if he can send the limo back to us." They had sent the limo back when the police backup arrived to Mr. Manchas's house.

"Mr. Big gave you his _number_?" Nick asked, shocked. It had taken Nick months to even meet Mr. Big face to face. "N-no, no need to bug him. I'll have Finnick pick us up."

" _Finnick_?" Judy looked at the fox with with a raised eyebrow.

"Mmhmm, the shorter fox I was with, the one wearing the elephant costume," he reminded.

"Oh, OK," she clicked the power button on her phone a few times, "just as well, my phone's dead." She pocketed it in disappointment.

Nick tapped the phone and Finnick's picture appeared, signifying a call was being made.

"Nick! What's goin' on? Haven't heard from you since yesterday," A groggy voice came through as Nick put the phone up to his ear. "You on your way to me?"

"Hey buddy, nope, I'm still with the bunny," Nick replied, giving Judy a wink.

"Hah, she get tired of your sorry hide yet? Do I need to come pick you up from jail?" Finnick let out a deep laugh.

"Surprisingly, no! We pulled an all nighter, even said hello to 'Tony.'"

"Tony…?" the other fox asked, confused, "Oh…! Damn, Nick, I haven't heard that name in years. Old fella didn't skin you alive? Make _you_ into a rug?" Another deep laugh.

The cable car came to a stop, Judy had opened the door and was pulling on Nick's wrist to remind him to get out.

"Hah, close, he did try to 'ice' me though," Nick said, chuckling as he stepped out of the cable car with the rabbit.

"Haha, my Nicky, stop messing with me before I run over to where ever the hell you are and chew out your larynx."

"No no, it's all true!" Nick continued, the rabbit leading him to a nearby bench. "Anyway, listen, Finny. I need a ride, I'll tell you the whole story when you get here." The two took a seat.

"Fine, fine, where are you?"

"Uh…" Nick looked around, spotting a few street signs. "Rain Forest District, near the canals. Looks like I'm in front of The Cacao." He said, simultaneously pointing out the large shopping mall, visibly named "The Cacao" to Judy.

"You guys been all over the damn place!" The fennec fox grumbled. "Alright, lemme get some pants on, it'll probably take me like an hour to get there… morning traffic in the Rainforest District, man…"

"I know, buddy," Nick said, as if he were talking to an old man who was rambling, which, Nick chuckled to himself, wasn't too far from the truth. "See you then."

"Sheesh, whatever man, see you."

Nicks phone beeped, indicating that Finnick had hung up.

"Says he'll be an hour," he reported, putting his phone in his pocket to look down at the bunny sitting next to him.

"I heard," She replied simply, as Nick stood up. "Huh? Where're you going?"

"C'mon, it's as good a time as any to show you around the city, and The Cacao is a great place to start!" He flashed her a smile as he motioned towards the large outdoor mall, seemingly supported by multiple massive trees, mammals already shopping. A reddish pink seemed to be the theme of the mall; the color was prominent in its design, highlighting the unique architecture and the advertisements the mall had on display.

"Nick, now isn't the time to go shopping, we've— well, I guess we do have an hour to burn huh," She laughed to herself, standing up to join Nick.

"Exactly, come on, I owe you lunch," the fox smiled at her sheepishly. "To make up for the burrito."

"Nick," she said abruptly, crossing her arms and shooting him a stern look.

He lowered his ears, confused. "What?"

Judy let a pause fill the air as she looked up at him, trying to decide if he was going to trick her into spending her own money again. Eventually, a grin won out her expression. "It's too early for lunch, get me some breakfast!" she hopped passed him, giving him a smack on his forearm, and giggled as she jogged across the cross-walk toward the mall.

Nick smiled before he ran after her, once again finding himself admiring her limitless energy, _that bunny really is something._

They decided to spend some time exploring the mall before actually going to the food court to eat. The mall consisted of many platforms held up in the tree canopy, connected by several bridges that retracted or otherwise folded up to allow small airships to pass through on their way to to the harbor or further inland.

"Wow… you can even see downtown Savanna from here," Judy said in awe from a balcony.

Nick smiled at the wondrous expression on her face. It never really occurred to him that there were mammals not used to these types of sights.

"And these trees— they're so tall! I can't even believe they grew like this naturally!" She exclaimed, looking around at the buildings that hung from the sides of the massive trees.

"That's because they didn't," he chuckled, matter-of-factly.

The rabbit turned to look at him with a curious expression, "What do you mean…? Are they like… manufactured?"

Nick shook his head, "Mmmm, no, they grew here, but _we're_ why they grow so big," he leaned on the rail of the balcony, joining Judy in taking in the view: mammals walking, socializing behind them, traffic from airships and cars on the sky roadways in front of them.

"Wait, how?" Judy was puzzled further, "I grew up on a farm, we had ways of making plants grow faster, healthier… but nothing that makes them grow this large…"

Nick stared out at the rainforest. He didn't really know, all he knew is that when Zootopia was founded, the trees weren't here, or at least they weren't _this_ size, and definitely not capable of supporting a city this large. "Hmm, couldn't tell you, carrots… tell you what, though, I'll find out and get back to you." He smiled slyly, figuring he'd dust off his old information-gathering skills.

"Oh," Judy waved a dismissive paw at him, "I'm sure I can just find out on the internet."

Nick scoffed, putting a paw on his chest. "Why madam, I'll have you know that I can find information that you can't simply look up on Zoogle."

"Is that right?" she scoffed, giving him a skeptical look, "Well, do I get special access to this 'Nick Intel Network'?" she teased.

Nick grinned at her, giving a vague shrug, "told you, carrots, I know everybody."

She grinned back, humming at him teasingly before turning back to the vista. The sun was still rising, and she wanted to admire it a bit more. It was nice for the two of them to have a break after being chased after Mr. Manchas, as well as being in detective mode for longer than 24 hours. Especially so, now that Nick was actually putting an effort into not being a jerk.

Nick thought about the look on Judy's face when the police chief was demanding her badge. Everything she had worked so hard for, everything she _was_. Being demanded from her after failing to meet such an unfair expectation. She was set up for failure from the start, a situation that Nick was all too familiar with. Her eyes-

Nick suddenly felt a pair of arms around his waist, he let out a yip in surprise as he straightened out. He looked down to the rabbit that was hugging him.

"Thank you, Nick!" the rabbit said in a slightly trembling voice. "Thank you so much."

"Hey, hey," Nick awkwardly patted her on the head, she was squeezing rather hard, it was hard for him to breathe. "Some grip you got on you, carrots!" He managed. He could feel that his fur was standing up on his back, and to the tip of his tail.

"I mean it, Nick," she reaffirmed, "thank you for believing in me. For standing up for me."

"Hey, well, you know," Nick said, somewhat tense as her embrace loosened, "we're so close to solving this case, can't have my partner getting fired _now_." He chuckled as well as he could with his restricted air allowance, and rubbed her head with a paw, trying to squirm out of the hug. "Hey come on, I still owe ya breakfast."

She let him go, sensing he was uncomfortable with the contact and didn't want to overwhelm him. "Yeah," she grinned up at him, blinking a few times, trying to reduce the glossiness in her eyes. "You got your _wallet_ , this time?"

"Yep," He pulled it out the well worn wallet to prove it, Judy noticed a thick white envelope peaking out of the cash pocket. Nick pocketed it again and started walking away, motioning for the rabbit to follow. "Don't worry, carrots, not trying to hustle you this time."

The rabbit followed.

"Not running off ahead this time?" The fox grinned down at Judy.

"Hmm?" She looked up at him, ears flicking up, but quickly lowering again, embarrassed, "Oh, I guess it's a habit of mine, sorry", she grinned sheepishly.

"I just figured it was just a rabbit thing," Nick put his paws in his pockets as the two neared the food court. "So what you're you in the mood for?" Nick stopped at the entrance, taking in the smells. He realized he was really hungry, having nothing but shrew-sized food at the wedding several hours ago.

Judy looked around, her nose twitching as she also took in the smells, "Ahh, normally I don't eat mall food but I don't care! I'm so hungry!"

Nick raised an eyebrow, "S'there a mall in Bunnyburrow?" They started touring their meal options.

"No," Judy shook her head, her ears standing up as she eyed each entree, "the closest mall was in a bigger town nearby, me and some of my siblings would go there sometimes for movies and shopping. You know, typical teenage stuff."

Nick chucked at the work 'typical', "Yeah, remind me to tell you about my teenage years sometime, it was anything but 'typical.'"

Judy turned her attention away from the food, and smiled at Nick. His willingness to open up about his past further warmed her, it was a stark contrast from his attitude towards her just the day before.

Nick, noticing her smile, awkwardly took out his phone to check the time; no texts from Finnick yet, and still plenty of time to relax and eat.

When he looked up from his phone, he noticed Judy had gone. His ears splayed out as he scanned the area trying to find the missing rabbit. He quickly spotted the short rabbit; as it was still early in the morning, the mall wasn't as packed with mammals. She was waving at him, standing in front of a food place area named, "Cafe Toothless" with some foreign-looking characters below the text. As he walked towards her, he noted that it was an odd name for a food stall.

"This what you want, carrots?" He looked down at her as she got into line, pulling on his wrist. "The name makes it seem like you'll lose your teeth or something…" He wrinkled his brow, looking up at the logo again, a small black dragon giving a toothless grin seemed to be its mascot.

"Yeah, I don't know why it's called that…" Judy pondered, "There was was a Cafe Toothless in the mall near my hometown, me and my siblings used to eat there all the time."

Nick looked over the menu; most of the menu items seemed to involve tofu and a variety of noodles. "Ehh, not sure if I like the vegan lifestyle," Nick looked disappointed, as he was hoping for some fish, "I mean, I'll eat it if this is what you want."

"Come on, it's delicious!" She smacked his forearm with the back of her open paw. Nick noted how she hit pretty hard, even in her friendly demeanor. He lightly rubbed where she had _brutally struck_ him with her soft velvety bunny knuckles.

"Says the _bunny_ who is vegan completely by design," Nick teased, glad at the awkwardness of their new friendship melting away, becoming more natural. _Friends? Huh, I guess that's happening now_ , he thought, minding it a lot less than he would have yesterday. _Funny how that worked out…_

"Nick! Pick something!" She urged, jolting Nick out of his daze. Nick realized the raccoon behind the register was waiting for him to order.

"Mmm, yes! Your finest whatever-she's-having, please," Nick rubbed the bunnies head, her ears flopping down to allow the action.

"Two lemon-grass tofu salads," The raccoon replied, poking at the touchscreen in front of her, "anything else?"

 _Lemongrass? Is it made out of grass?_ Nick thought. _Yuck… the bunny's making me eat grass, I'm not gonna make it!_ He chuckled quietly.

Judy was taking some water cups from the raccoon as she realized Nick was off thinking fox stuff again, whatever fox stuff may be. She looked apologetically to the raccoon, prodding Nick in the ribs, "Oh, he's just deciding whether he forget his wallet again."

Jogged from his daze for the second time, he quickly paid for the meal and the two went to sit down in the sea of tables. They found a small round table sized for medium animals like themselves. Judy raised the barstool built into the floor, a small motor whirring as she held a button on its side. Nick simply sat at the table, no adjustments to his seat needed.

Now able to reach the table, the bunny passed out the food, opening the clamshell food container for Nick. He was starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation, his mind only able to process a few thoughts a time.

But he quickly returned to reality as he saw the food, which smelled and looked delicious. Nick salivated at the meal, which looked like actual meat with noodles on the side, coated in a brown, semi-transparent gravy, and some vegetables.

"Wow… _this_ is tofu?" Nick looked pleasantly surprised as he picked up the plastic fork Judy had passed him. "Honestly, I was expecting some kinda gross jello square."

"I know! Right?!" Judy looked excited to eat, "I've never had meat before, but I hear predators love this stuff." She grinned at him as she dug into her own meal, using a somewhat smaller rabbit-sized fork. Nick started on his. "It's a good thing the food brought you back to the land of the living, was about to ask if you were OK." She managed through a mouthful of noodles.

Nick wasn't sure if it was the hunger or if he actually enjoyed this fake "meat" stir fry, but his mouth hungered for more after he swallowed the first bite. "Oh uh… yeah, Carrots, I'm just really tired. We didn't really get much sleep, ya know? Getting tunnel vision a bit, feeling light headed." He was tempted to rub his forehead, but instead, crammed another forkful into his muzzle.

"I know, me too…" The rabbit said, he ears dropping behind her shoulders.

Nick chuckled, recalling how the bunny still seemed to have unlimited stores of rabbit-y energy, but didn't say anything. He was too busy shoveling food into his drooling mouth. "You know, I don't know if it's the starvation, or the sleep deprivation, but I think I found a new favorite food!" Nick said during a rare lapse in chewing.

"Heeey, there you go!" Judy grinned proudly, a stray noodle hanging from her mouth. "See, vegan isn't so bad."

"Ah, ah, ah," Nick wagged a clawed finger at her, "I'm afraid the jury's still out on whether this is actually vegan until I see some lab testing."

Judy giggled cheerily as Nick felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to read the message.

( I'm parked out front, you inside? ), read the message from Finnick.

"Ride's here, better finish up," he said, simultaneously replying to their driver.

( Yeah, just grabbing some food. Give me 5 minutes. ) He tapped before taking another bite.

"Is he driving that van with the retro-metal art on the side?" The bunny asked, closing the clamshell on her unfinished food. She wondered if that van even had more than two seats.

"Mmhmm," he replied, focused on finishing his.

( Man, you guys all buddy buddy now? )

Nick read the text from the phone sitting on the table, both hands focused on the food, he ignored the question. He had finished eating the food, suddenly realizing that he had started licking the empty Styrofoam container which prompted a giggle from the rabbit cop. He froze, looking up at the rabbit in embarrassment. She was staring back at him with an amused grin and tilted brow. He lifted his muzzle out of the container, smiling slyly and straightening his tie. "I do say, that was exquisite cuisine, good chum." He said in a ridiculous posh accent, wiggling his shoulders.

Judy snickered, rolling her eyes at him. "Looking' good, slick Nick."

"Esquire," Nick corrected. "Slick Nick, _Esquire_." The two stood up from the table; Nick picked up his empty container, Judy, her half full one.

"Do you even know what Esquire means?"

"Do _you?_ " Nick deflected, tossing his container. They left the food court together, heading back to the outside platform overlooking the canopy.

"Sure I do, it's that one magazine!" Judy teased, "The one that always has the unrealistically attractive horses on the cover."

The two giggled at neither of them quite knowing what the word meant.

"Hey now, it's not always horses, I've seen a lion a few times," Nick argued playfully.

The two bantered back and forth about magazines while walking to the front of the mall. Both were amused at how the hostility they had for each other had melted away so easily. Their conversation had flowed from each topic to the next, mostly about nonsense, _anything_ to take their mind of the case.

A honk came from the left as they had crossed the road.

"There's our ride," Nick said, nodding to the driver of the van. The familiar painted van pulled over, a cacophony of loud music blaring from within.

Nick opened the passenger side door and peeked his head in; Finnick turned the music off.

"Hey buddy, have fun without me?" Nick said snidely.

"Hey man, get your hide in, I hate driving in The Canopy," Finnick grumbled.

Nick stood out of the way for Judy to climb in, "Go ahead and have a seat in the back, Finny won't mind if you sit in his banana chair."

"Excuse the mess, Officer Bunny, I haven't done my laundry yet," Finnick nodded at the bunny as she hopped in, then looked back out the front window.

"My name's Judy Hopps, actually," Judy replied, heading between the seats into the back of the van. She was still getting used to the idea that the small fox was fully grown, and had such a deep baritone voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know your name."

Nick climbed in and shut the door, then looked back to the bunny. "Sorry, carrots, it's not as nice as the limo, but Finny here will get us to where we're going." Judy waved a paw dismissively as she decided where to sit down. The van smelled faintly musty, possibly of the dirty laundry he had mentioned. However, it was otherwise clean despite the piles of clothes. A mattress was on the left, a rocking banana chair on the right, and there were a few tiny button-up shirts that were hanging neatly on the wall of the van.

"And where exactly _are_ we goin'?" Finnick huffed.

"City Hall, we need to have a talk with the assistant mayor," Nick said, sounding important.

"Oh, _yeah_?" He responded sarcastically in a much higher voice. Judy mentally remarked at his astounding vocal range. "You guys having a VIP meet-and-greet? Little, old con-artist Nicky is invited?" he chuckled.

"Hey, um," Judy protested, standing behind the two foxes. "There's no seat belts back here actually."

"Ey," Finnick chirped, turning away from the wheel to face the cop, "You got your choice of the mattress or the chair, this ain't no taxi. You don't like it? I guess you gotta arrest me then, huh."

"Oh, Finny, come on don't be so grumpy," Nick defended, Finnick raising an eyebrow at his friend's changed attitude towards the officer. "She's had a long night, almost got eaten by a grumpy jaguar… _and_ a grumpy buffalo. Let's save the grumpy fennec act for another time, huh?"

Finnick paused for a moment then turned back to the bunny. "Sorry, bunny, I'm just messing' around, ain't used to socializing with cops much, ya know?"

"It's OK," Judy replied simply. "Although, when we first met I thought you made a really cute Jr. Officer." She teased, grinning.

Nick let out a foxy laugh, then pushed against Finnick's shoulder with his knuckles.

"Yeah yeah", the small fox grumbled, slightly amused. He signalled to go back on the road, and started driving.

Figuring that it was more secure than a chair that rocked back and forth, Judy settled for the mattress. She sat down and leaned her back against the side of the van. Finnick's mattress was very soft; the sheets were a deep red satin. She rubbed her paws on the cool fabric.

"So what's the story?" Finnick queried, "C'mon, I got up outta bed, drove an hour for you guys, you tellin' me you got 'iced' by Old Tony, got eaten by some dude, it's story time!"

"Mmhmm," Nick agreed, "Hey G.I. Judy, you don't mind reliving the last day or so, right?"

"With how tired I am?" Judy laughed, "As long as you do all the talking, Slick."

"If you so tired, Bunny," Finnick said while trying to navigate through the thick traffic. "You can lay down on the mattress, s'gonna be little over an hour before we get back into downtown."

"I think I'll do that," Judy yawned, "Thank you, Finnick."

"Mmhmm."

"Oh, by the way," Judy said, remembering her phone and fishing it out of her tactical belt's rear pocket, "Either of you have a phone charger?"

"Nah," Finnick replied, "This van's too old to have one of them charger ports."

"Oh, hey," Nick opened the glove box, "Use this, should have some charge left." He undid his seatbelt and got up to go to Judy. He handed her a white box with a cable wrapped around it. "It's a portable charger."

Judy took the box and looked at the cable, "Oh um, I guess you only have a cable for a Lambdroid phone," she said, showing Nick her zPhone.

"You're killin' me, carrots…" Nick sighed, "Oh wait! I've wanted to try this, gimme," Nick crouched down on his haunches as he took the phone and the box. He set the box on the floor and placed the phone on top, face up. He covered the phone with his paws.

Judy looked skeptically up at the fox, then back down to the phone, "What are you—"

Nick lifted his paws and the phone's screen was on, showing a battery charging icon.

"Ohh!" Judy smiled back to Nick, "I didn't know my phone could do that."

"I'm magic, what can I say?" Nick shrugged, heading back up to the front of the van. "Get some sleep, no telling when we'll get the chance again."

Judy yawned, then laid down on the soft mattress.

"Man, you guys buddied up _real_ fast," Finnick said to Nick, "Tell me the damn story already, fool!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to that!" Nick replied with a whiny tone.

Judy could hear him recounting the last 24 hours with Finnick, smiling as she listened to her new friend. It wasn't long before she faded into a well-deserved nap.


	6. Whatever lay ahead

_June 7th, 20X8_

 _Before Noon_

 _Downtown Savanna Central_

The fox was being shaken, but as he was tired, he did his best to ignore it. But a small voice came from the distance.

"…Nick… Nick!" The voice called, "NICK! COME ON!"

"Ach! Wah?" The fox awoke, startled, choking on his own tongue. "Carrots! What is it?"

"Nick! It's noon! You said you would wake me up!" Judy said bitterly. She was annoyed with him again, assuming that he had gone back to trying to waste her time, and this showed in her voice. She slumped down in the empty driver seat; Finnick was nowhere to be found. A look of disappointment clouded her face. A look that used to frustrate Nick, now... the fox wasn't quite sure.

"Hey, hey, carrots, it's OK!" Nick started, sensing her misunderstanding. "Look—"

"You let me sleep until Noon!" She interrupted accusingly, "You told me you'd wake me up when we got to City Hall—!"

"Carrots, listen!" Nick said, grabbing her shoulders. "We're _in_ the parking complex for City Hall. I let you sleep while I went in to see if we could see Bellwether, but they said she and the Mayor are out of the office until this afternoon. I figured I'd just let you sleep until then, it's OK!"

"No, no, we need to find Otterton," she said in a flat tone, but her thoughts were still frantic. "We don't have much time left."

"You still need more rest, the sleep deprivation is gonna catch up to you," he said, calmly trying to assuage her. "We _will_ find Otterton, and Chief Buff-buff will see just how capable you are. I guarantee that he won't expect you to find Otterton at all, so he won't be expecting you to find him late either." Nick paused as he eyed her, lifting his hands off her shoulders as she thought about what he said. "We're not going to get our next lead until Bellwether gets back to the office, we need to stay calm and get more sleep. Wherever they took Mr. Rip-your-face-off is probably guarded, and if we aren't careful, they'll just lock us up too… OK?"

Judy took in some deep breaths. He was right; she wasn't thinking straight. After she woke up and saw the time, she went straight into a panic. Her mind was trying to compensate for working with only a few hours of sleep. Freaking out wouldn't help her find Mr. Otterton any sooner.

"I'm sorry, Nick, I thought you were trying to waste time again… I should have trusted you," She gave him a quick grin, embarrassed to meet his eyes for too long but relieved he really was on her side this time.

"Ah, don't worry about it, fluff," Nick said, giving a smirk back, "We'll get this done, OK?" He leaned back into his sleeping position, "Go back to sleep. I have an alarm set."

Before he could close his eyes though, Nick took notice of her ears, more-so than usual. He smirked, making a mental note how they perked up at the moment. She was looking around attentively, trying to listen beyond the car's interior.

"Right," she finally spoke up. "Where's Finnick?"

"Hmm?" He looked around as he recalled where his tiny buddy was. "Oh! I dropped him off at his girlfriend's place, we have the van for a little while. He said he'd call if things didn't work out as planned. Which could very well happen," He paused, checking his phone, "Any second now."

"Finnick… having trouble with his girlfriend?" She asked, settling back down into the driver's seat.

Her ears were still up, he noted.

"Mmmm'yeah, you could say that," Nick replied, yawning "They've been having a little… spat for the last month or so," he shrugged, crossing his paws behind his head and putting his feet on the dash. "He's been trying to make it up to her."

"Hmm, I hope it goes OK," She said, wanting to know more, but not wanting to pry.

They were still up.

"Mmm, I'm sure she'll go savage and have herself a little fennec burger—"

"Nick—!"

Still up.

" _I'm just kidding,_ he'll be fine!" He chucked, as she rolled her eyes. "Now seriously little puff, you should probably get back to sleep."

Judy gave an approving hum as she made her way back to the mattress.

 _How do you get those things to go down?_ Nick shook his head, smirking his usual fox smirk. _Guess I'll have to ask her about how those ears work sometime…_ He yawned, his tongue curling back, _Or… I could do a little experimenting on my own._

* * *

 _June 7th, 20X8_

 _Afternoon_

 _Downtown Savanna Central_

"Well, we're officially out of time as of who-knows how long ago…" Judy said as the two walked back towards the van in the parking complex. "But! We've got our next clue, so let's get to it!"

"Wow, gotta hand it to you, fluff," Nick grinned at Judy, "I'm impressed with how upbeat you can be all the time."

Judy let out a short laugh and shrugged, "Well, you're right about one thing, I don't think Chief Bogo expects me to find Otterton at all, so we'll just have to find Otterton _and_ Manchas!" she turned her head to look at Nick, a confident smirk on her face.

 _Naive or no, this bunny really is something,_ Nick thought. He took a paw and brushed it against the top of Judy's standing ears. They fell, she looked at him in annoyed amusement and swatted him away. _Aha, there's one way to make them drop._

As they reached the van, Nick slowed his pace, which Judy took notice as she reached for the passenger side door. Her ears perked up at him.

"Hey, uh… do you think you could drive us there?" Nick said, putting his paws in his pockets. "Don't really feel like driving, if you don't mind. I mean, the van is customized for Finnick's size, so you should be able to drive it just fine."

Judy looked at him slightly puzzled, "Oh, sure I can drive. Do you… not like driving?" She recalled that she had not really seen him drive, only being told that he drove them to City Hall after dropping Finnick off. Granted, they had only known each other for a few days.

"Mmmm, it's just not my thing," he said, shrugging as he reached past her and pulled open the passenger side door and got in.

"Uh, oooh- _kay_ ," she said, walking around to the driver's side. She opened the door and got in. Nick handed her the key as she looked around getting accustomed to the van's adjusted steering wheel, which had finger triggers to accelerate and brake, in addition to the normal ones near the floor.

"I'm sure your driving is better than mine anyway," Nick said, knuckling her on the shoulder before pulling on his seatbelt.

Judy tilted a brow at him, wondering why he was acting slightly, yet noticeably, odd about driving. She started the van, it jumped a bit and something popped near the rear, probably the muffler.

"So, any reason you don't like driving?" She said as she began navigating out of the parking complex. She was trying to make conversation, but had to admit she was curious as well.

"Just not my thing, sweetheart," he smiled at her as he pushed his seat back into a laying position. "'sides, you got more sleep than me, I'm gonna get a bit more. The road we saw in the traffic cam footage leads through South Canyon, and that's a little outside of city limits. It's gonna be a while before we get there— Oh!" He puffed, sitting back up and pulling out his phone, "speaking of which, GPS would probably help." He tapped at his phone and clipped it to a cradle that was glued rather sloppily to the dash on the side of the radio so Judy could see the map.

"Oh, thanks!" Judy drove out of the parking complex and out onto the road. "I guess that would help to know where I'm going."

"Eh, hasn't stopped you so far," Nick chuckled, laying back down in the seat.

"Yeah, har har," Judy shot back playfully, rolling her eyes. There was a pause, but Judy was still curious, and she liked the idea of Nick opening up to her, "So, are you _bad_ at driving?"

"Hmm?" He said back, not opening his eyes. "Why would you think that? I mean I'm probably better at it than you."

"I've never _actually_ seen you drive," she said candidly.

"Carrots, we met four days ago," he replied, kicking his feet onto the dash.

"I know! It's just—"

"Look, I know what you're getting at, and I just don't like driving. Not _everything_ about me has some tragic history to it. As interesting as I may seem."

"Right… sorry," she said, feeling embarrassed for being nosy.

Nick opened his eyes slightly to look at her as she concentrated on the road, her ears were down. A small grin appeared on his face.

"You really _stink_ ," he finally said. He watched as her ears shot up. _Knew it!_ he thought giddily.

"I— what?" She quickly looked at him and took a sniff of her underarm. "Oh, uh… I guess you're right…" she giggled sheepishly.

"It's OK, I stink pretty bad too," he laughed, watching Judy's reaction. "We haven't really had the chance to wash up since yesterday."

"Oh, gosh, a hot bath sounds so nice right now!" She grumbled longingly. "That's the first thing I'm doing when I get home. You can, uh… smell me then? Is it that bad?"

Nick tapped on his nose, "If there's one thing foxes are good it, it's smelling." He closed his eyes again, keeping his dreaded half-smile on. "And yeah, considering our clothes are still somewhat damp. You smell pretty awful."

"Ah, right," she said, embarrassed that he had probably smelled her stench since being chased by Manchas in the rain.

"Don't worry about it, I'm used to being able to smell other—"

Judy gasped, "Nick!"

He jerked his head to look at her.

"The wolves! We won't be able to sneak in, they'll smell us coming!" She yelped, "we need to come up with something."

Nick sat upright, _Right, how did I not think of that?!_. "Hmm, uh…", he looked around the van, as if searching for a solution. _She's right, they'd smell us before we even got near the building._

"We should've gotten showers while we were waiting for Bellwether…" Judy groaned, disappointed that they were realizing this too late.

"Hey, we needed that sleep, carrots. There's no way we can operate without sleep."

"OK," Judy took a breath, her grip tightening on the wheel. "What do we do? We need to find where they took Manchas before the trail goes cold, who knows how long we have until then."

"Uh-huh—"

"What if we just masked our scent?"

"Masked our scent how?"

"Got any cologne?"

"Yeah, Fin has some laying around but… that'll just make us more noticeable."

"Yeah… true… hmm…" Judy kept her eyes on the road as she pondered.

"Um, I think I've got it…" Something in Nick's head clicked, but he wasn't too pleased by it.

"Really? What's your idea?" Judy said, trying to keep her attention between the fox and the road.

"So, my mom used to carry this stuff around in her purse when I was younger," _I can't believe this is my idea_. "She said she used to use it during… those times of the month?" _Yep, I'm just going to go right out and say it, huh…_

Judy gasped, she knew what he was talking about, "Nick! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes, but apparently I'm a little more uncomfortable about it than you are," he tried his best to give a sly grin, more in a teasing way to deflect the embarrassment. He was glad to note she was too busy paying attention to traffic to notice how strained it was.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, this is _really_ awkward!" She was right, Nick could see Judy's ears had turned red where the skin showed through her fur. She glanced quickly at Nick, then back to the road, then back to him, this time noticing where his eyes were. She lowered her ears.

Both of them descended to a brief, awkward silence.

"OK!" Nick finally piped up, "we're stopping at my place, we can take turns in the shower."

Judy felt warmed by the offer to be shown his place, but knew that would take time they weren't sure they had.

"Nick," she grinned at his embarrassment, "there's _nothing_ wrong with a male wearing feminine anti-scent." She knew he had found her blush tell, now she was looking for his; but to her disappointment, it didn't seem like Nick's ears had the same problem.

"Wow, well when you put it like that!" Nick threw his arms up in defeat. She was right, feminine anti-scent was meant to cover up girly scents from other mammals with highly-developed olfactory senses, like foxes and wolves. Society as they knew it would have collapsed long ago if it wasn't for this embarrassing yet essential invention. It was also highly effective in covering up any mammal's body odor. "Fine, but we'll need to stop and get some, I don't suppose you carry any around in that tool belt of yours? I left _my_ purse at home."

Judy laughed, leave it to Nick to turn around an embarrassing conversation with his goofy deflections. "No, we'll have to stop at a convenience store or something."

"Ah, leave that to me!" Nick said, leaning towards the phone he had placed on the dash. "OK Zoogle," the phone beeped, "add a Chevram to our route."

The phone beeped in response, "Yes, Red Leader, adding Chevram closest to current route."

He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet back to the dash.

Judy snickered, "Red Leader?" she stifled a louder laugh.

"What? I'm red! And I'm a natural born leader! I just choose to let you call the shots right now," He gave her his usually cocky look.

"Is that right? Alright, slick." she shook her head, highly amused at Nick's antics. "Some, ' _tragic history_ ' behind that?"

Nick let out a laugh. "Nothing tragic. It's just an old nickname mammals used to call me, I used to be big on Star Boars."

"Star Boars, eh?" Judy scoffed, "can't say I ever got into those cheesy movies."

Nick shot up in his seat, giving up on the dream of sleep forever. "Excuse me?!"

"Yeah… I just thought they weren't that good, too many computer effects. You know what I mean? It feels… fake!"

"Hah!" Nick chortled, actually offended. "Those are the _new_ ones! You need to watch the originals!"

"The… _originals_?" Judy asked, confused.

"Yes! The ones with practical effects— You know what!? I have a lot more to teach you than I thought, we're just gonna watch the original series," He beamed at her.

Judy was surprised, but she looked at him and returned his bright smile. He had invited her to watch movies with him. The thought of relaxing and just watching movies with her new friend gave her a feeling of warmth. "Alright, Mr. Movie Connoisseur, your place or mine?"

"Neither," he replied slyly, Judy was confused. "Just so happens, this fox has the best place to watch movies in the whole city. We're going to watch one of the original reels, the kinds they gave to movie theaters back in the day."

She had a look of utter incredulity on her face, "The original— How did you get a copy of—"

"Ah-ah, _ah!_ " Nick waved a finger at her, "that's a story for when I prove it to you."

"Wow, you really don't stop with the surprises."

"Mmm'yeah, I get that a lot." He said smugly.

* * *

 _Tundra Town_

"That'll be 12.47," the tall antelope cashier said to Nick.

Nick wore his usual face, but inside he was cursing the rabbit. He tapped his phone to the card reader, which beeped mockingly, and the cash register printed out a receipt.

The antelope bagged the 4 sticks of feminine product, rabbit-product to be exact, and handed the bag to Nick. "Have a good day!" she said cheerily.

He gulped as he took the bag, "Thanks! Gotta get home to my roomie— friend, girl— ah, you know."

"Mm-hmm," the antelope. She had seen it all, working so long in retail. "Don't worry sir, I know how it is with girls."

Nick slinked out of the convenience store, eyes rolling back from embarrassment. He shook it off and headed back to the van, which Judy was filling with fuel. While it was raining pretty moderately in other parts of the city, weather control for Tundra Town caused the rain to turn to snow. Nick leaned against the van and crossed his arms at the bunny, the bag of product crinkled under his armpit.

"Hmm," Nick looked at her, getting her game, "Out of money, huh?"

She looked at him and gave a teasing hum, putting her wallet back in her tactical belt. "Well, I just remembered I _did_ have my wallet after all."

Nick gave her a grin at her sly way of getting payback. She had pretended to be out of money as she had just moved to the city and spent her last bit of cash on those burritos from yesterday, making him feel guilty. She stressed how they couldn't continue the case without this purchase. Nick had given in rather quickly, in retrospect.

"Heh, I guess you are learning after all," he grinned at her, batting at her ears playfully with both paws.

"Agh!" Judy swatted him away, "learned from the best!"

"Well, I'll have you know that I've never been more embarrassed," he said sarcastically and indignantly. He actually was pretty embarrassed, but wanted to give the impression that he handled himself better than he did.

She hummed at him again as she pulled the pump from the van and closed the gas cap. _That hum of hers…_ he thought.

She put the fuel pump back in its slot and pressed a few buttons. "OK! You ready?" She pulled the driver's door open and hopped in.

Nick made his away around and got in the passenger side. Judy reached into the bag of feminine products Nick was carrying.

"I think I gave the cashier the wrong idea," Nick said teasingly, but cringing on the inside, "You had me buy rabbit stuff."

She waved a paw at him while the other took out a stick of anti-scent. "Well it's the only brand I knew of, I don't normally buy this stuff for other mammals."

Nick gave a throaty laugh, "And I could say the exact same thing until a few minutes ago!"

"Oh yes, a _tragedy_ ," she grinned contentedly to herself, pulling off the wrapper that enclosed the cap of the stick.

He took a stick of the stuff for himself and looked it over. "OK! So, let's get me all dolled up and ready for my date! …How do I use this?" He peered at the wrapper for instructions or warning labels.

She took the bar he pulled out and handed him the one already opened, the cap pulled clean off. Nick reeled back as his nose took in an odd odor.

"OK, so, it's a roller ball, you roll it on over your fur, you can also roll it on your clothes—"

"It stinks!" He said, holding it away from his face, and sticking his tongue out. "You sure this is even gonna work? They'll just smell this stuff!"

"Oh, shush," She said, "It's not that bad—" Nick scoffed at that, "—Besides, the scent fades as it dries." She popped her stick open.

"So, it goes on _over_ your clothes?" Nick sniffed at it again before reeling back and choking.

"Stop sniffing at it!" Judy scolded, "you'll need to put it under your clothes too, pretty much everywhere you can."

"Given how good wolves are at sniffing, we'll need as much help as we can get, and that still might not be enough." He began rubbing the anti-scent under his arm, making a scrunched face as he dealt with the chemically odor.

"It's gonna have to be, this is all we have," Judy looked around, "So, um… I need to take my vest and uniform off—"

Nick choked, but quickly recovered. "Yeah— the back." He coughed between words.

Judy raised an eyebrow at him as he stood up. "Oh—!"

Nick quickly ushered her to the back of the van, "Here," trying not to cough on her. He pulled a rolling curtain across so she had privacy in the back of the van. He quickly sat back down.

"Th— Thanks!" She said behind the curtain.

"Mm-hmm!" He managed, flustered. He could feel his face get hot. _I feel like a little kit! What's wrong with me?_ He thought, frustrated. _Oh, just some bunny wanting to get naked, hum dee dum!_

As the bunny rustled in the back, Nick started on himself. "No peeking!" He said teasingly to the bunny, as he tossed his tie over his shoulder and unbuttoned his shirt.

A chuckle came from the curtain. "Same to you," she practically sang.

Nick worked on 'de-scenting' himself with the feminine product, trying to reach every angle of each tuft of fur.

"You almost done?" A voice from behind the curtain asked.

Nick raised a brow, "you're finished already?"

"Well, when you grow up in a house full of brothers and sisters, you kinda learn some tricks to get clothes on quicker," she chuckled, almost nervously, as if she could sense how flustered she had made Nick.

"Um, give me a sec, _stop rushing me, rabbit!_ " He whined.

"Well, you finish up, I'm gonna head to the bathroom." She said, as a sound of the van's rear door opening reached Nick's ears, shortly followed by the sound of it closing. A rush of cold air reached him, making his fur puff out reflexively.

Sitting there, undressed, he watched the bunny walk towards the convenience store. He quickly resumed his de-scenting procedure as he caught himself staring at Judy's rump as she walked. He shook his head a few times.

 _OK, so that happened!_ Nick admitted mentally. _Nothing to be ashamed of, it's not like I've never done that before…_

Finishing with the stick, he reached for the cap Judy had left on the dash and put it on the half finished product, and tossed it in the plastic bag on the floor. He began to re-assemble his clothes upon himself.

 _But she's a rabbit,_ he thought as he buttoned his shirt. He thought about how to respond to his own pondering, before dismissing it, _There's a first time for everything, I guess…_

* * *

 _South Canyon, approx. 3 miles outside of Zootopia city limits_

The two sat silently as Judy drove them down a winding road; it was still daytime, but the ominous clouds and the pouring rain made it darker. Nick was reclined in his seat, but the opportunity for sleep had passed him, so he merely stared at the clouds from his window.

Judy thought of a way to break the awkward silence.

"So!" She almost huffed out.

"Mmm?" He hummed, relieved that she was the one to begin.

"Tundra town," Judy said in a higher voice as she tapped on the steering wheel with her fingers. "It's raining here, but it's snowing in Tundra Town."

"Yes, yes it is." Nick nodded, cupping his jaw with his paw in deep thought. "Good talk, good talk."

Judy chuckled, "I know you said it's normal for you, but… how does that happen?"

"Ah, well, hate to disappoint you, carrots, but I'm not too understanding of the science."

"But it's so… strange to me, it's a completely mammal-made event, you have to know _something_ about how it works?" She urged, wanting to keep the small talk going.

"Um, well there's the wall—"

"Right—"

"But there's a larger control column underground?" He said in an uncertain voice, only referencing what he knew about the city's layout and planning.

"Underground?" Judy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, it's like… a really tall— er, _deep_ hole, and there's a long column in the middle. It goes about a mile into the ground, it's underneath the beginning of the wall, not quite in the center of the city."

"A _mile?_ " She gapped, unbelieving. "Are you exaggerating?"

"Nope," He responded, knowingly, "it reaches about over a mile at its lowest point. It costs nearly 21.8 billion Bucks to maintain annually. And it uses more electricity in one hour than the entire state uses in a month. It also—"

"Wait, wait," Judy was getting overwhelmed, she had never heard of Zootopia having anything like that. "H-how is that possible?"

"Eh, weather control is _expensive_ , how else do you think we manage to maintain the different biomes of the city that are so close together? We literally have the hottest point of the city sitting right next to the coldest. That kind of luxury doesn't come cheap."

"Wow…" Judy didn't know what to ask next. It was a lot to take in, but she was incredibly curious about the apparently 'uninteresting' mechanics of Zootopia. It fueled her sense of curiosity while everyone else took it for granted.

"You, uh, into science-y stuff, then?"

"Um, not really, but I'm fascinated at how this city works."

"OK, so the answers 'yes'?"

"Huh?" Judy asked, confused.

"Isn't learning how something works; ' _science_ '?"

"You know what I mean."

"Mmm, no I don't think I do," he grinned. "Does the little bunny want to learn more about 'science'?"

Judy smiled at him, the awkwardness had melted away and they settled back into their usual comfortable friendship. There was a dramatic pause from Nick, as rain pattered roughly against the van's windshield.

"Too bad," Nick said teasingly.

Judy scoffed, her mouth open, "What? Come on!"

"Sorry, don't know anything about the science," he smiled at her, finally pulling his seat upright. "But I'll find out for you, pinkie swear." He held out and wiggled his clawed pinkie.

"That list is growing pretty fast," she tutted, "I can always just look this stuff up. But I suppose you could always just show it to me sometime?"

"Hmm, doubt that, sweetheart," he said, grinning, "the primary column isn't really accessible to the public, aaaand not really public knowledge either."

"Then… how do you know about it?" Judy would have eyed him, if she had not needed to concentrate on the rain-slicked winding road, overlooking a canyon. They saw a tall building in the distance, seemingly sitting in the middle of a river, spilling to a waterfall.

"Hmm, told you, I know everybody, and when you know people, you know _things_. By extension, I know _everything_."

"Except _science_ , I take it?" She chortled, but still in wonder at how deep Nick's knowledge of the city actually was.

"Mmm'yeah, never really had a knack for that subject," Nick relented humbly, "But I told you, I'll find out for you."

"Copy, Red Leader," the two snickered, Nick rolling his eyes.

The building loomed ahead of them, it seemed like this was the end of the road. They couldn't have possibly taken Manchas anywhere else unless they drove off-road.

"This is it, huh?" Nick gaped at the stark building, "seems more like an evil lair. You sure were aren't going up against some evil super-genius?"

"Psh, well, that would really liven up today," Judy said as she slowed the van to a steady halt. This time around, Nick had told her to turn the headlights off before approaching. She peered into the darkness as she carefully pulled over into a ditch. They quietly hopped out and got to work hiding the van behind some trees and vegetation.

"We, uh, gonna call for any backup? I mean we pretty much found the only place where he could've gone," Nick asked nervously.

"Well… for one thing, I lost my radio. Second of all, you think Chief Bogo is gonna send me any backup at this point?"

"Ah, right—"

They finished draping across a few loose branches and stood back to appreciate their handiwork. The metal still shone wet in the moonlit rain, but it would be easily overlooked from far away. Judy brushed off her paws and did a quick sniff check. Nick met her eyes and she tilted her head questioningly. He leaned over and took a deep sniff. The scent really had faded away once it dried, he realized.

"Smells pretty good to me! I mean— it _doesn't smell_. I mean… you don't stink, carrots." Nick flashed her a thumbs up as Judy passed by him, making her way towards the property's gate.

"Shh, don't want them hearing us," Judy said, gesturing for him to keep low and sneak. She crouched behind a bush. Nick joined her quietly behind the vegetation. "I don't suppose you know anything about this building?" She peeked through the bush: in front of the building was a gated entrance and another winding road. The sign above the gate read "Cliffside."

"Nope, it's outside the city, that's way outside my jurisdiction," Nick shuddered at the sight of the gate, which was framed by two iron bulls, as if they were worshiping something. "This place gets creepier the closer we get. Come on, I don't see anyone yet." He motioned for her to follow as he snuck through the brush closing in on the gate.

"The rain should help mask our scents even more, right?" Judy whispered.

"Yeah, the wind looks like it's picking up, too," Nick observed, hiding behind the concrete siding of the gate, looking around. "Try not to stand upwind of any of them, I can't smell you now, but these wolves can smell a lot more than I can."

Judy nodded and joined Nick in scanning their surroundings.

The sound of the waterfall and the rain meant they would need to whisper louder, which the wolves might be able to hear. However, the wind and mist from the waterfall would help mask what scent wasn't covered by the feminine product they had slathered on themselves.

"Looks clear," Judy said, getting ready to make a run for it.

As if sensing what she was about to do, he put an arm in front of her.

"Wait, wait-wait- _wait,_ " Nick whispered, giving her a stern look. "We're not going to be able to talk, do not **speak** , you got it? Timberwolves can hear gnats from 15 feet away. Let me go first and stick. With. _Me._ OK?"

Judy nodded quickly. Nick patted her on the back and moved forward. He waved at her to follow and they both hurried up the dark road. He knew this was it, this was where they would discover just what happened to Mr. Manchas and Otterton. Nick knew with one look at the determined rabbit, they'd be able to handle whatever lay ahead.


	7. Arrest

_June 7th, 20X8_

 _Evening_

 _South Canyon_

Nick lay gasping on the rocky shore, he was muddy and cold. Judy had already made it to land and had been waiting. The mist from the waterfall permeated the air, making it chilly and damp.

"We—" Nick's lungs demanded more air before they would allow further speech. The clammy, frigid air made it difficult to take in deep breaths, causing him to wheeze slightly.

"You alright?" Judy looked down at the fox, her feet sinking into the mud next to him. At least it had stopped raining. She breathed normally, as if the swim to shore had been like walking. Nick, on the other hand, struggled to get to his feet. "Just relax, Nick! No need to strain yourself."

"How—" More gasping, "How are you— not tired?"

Judy helped him straighten up as he wobbled around in the mud, and began to lead him to drier ground. Judy grunted under the weight of Nick as she tried to keep him upright while he waddled away from the mud.

"I've been through a lot worse in the police academy, trust me," Judy's voice was strained but cheery, "I've trained for this type of thing."

The two reached a somewhat dry patch of dirt and gravel; he let himself fall from Judy's grasp and lay on his back, still breathing heavily. Judy took a seat on the ground next to him, putting her back against a nearby tree. She held the bag with her phone in it.

Nick caught his breath for a few moments, and turned his head to face Judy.

"You gonna call the beef-chief now?" He grinned. They had done it, the proof they needed to solve the case, who to arrest, the proof they needed to prove Judy was cop material. "I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear we found all of your missing mammals."

Judy smiled at him, "Yeah, just waiting for my hands to dry a little." There was a pause as Judy took in her surroundings and their accomplishments together. She looked back at him, relieved and fulfilled, her face beaming at him, "I can't believe we did it! I'm so… so—"

"Tired?" Nick teased, "yeah, can't say I blame you!" He laughed, his voice rough from the exertion. The air stung his throat and lungs with every breath, but it was worth it. _It was all worth it to see that smile. Those goofy teeth and… how her cheeks bunch up…_ He thought, this time resisting the urge to shake it from his head.

"Yeah, that too!" Judy chuckled back, she was shivering from the cold, "You catch your breath? Ready to head back to the road? It's going to be a long hike, but we'll get sick if we stay out here in our wet clothes. It's getting pretty chilly."

Nick groaned as he sat up, "Yeah, I think I'm good."

The two got their feet, dusting off the gravel that stuck to them. Then, Nick's eyes grew wide as he felt in his pocket.

"What's wrong?" Judy said, noticing his look of concern.

He pulled out his phone in silence, water dripping from its corner.

Judy brought a paw up and covered her mouth, "Oh, Nick! Your phone! I should've given you a bag too!"

"It's OK," he waved his paw at her dismissively, "Was meaning to get the new model anyway." He clicked the power button a few times, as if pressing it more would make any difference. He put the ruined phone back in his pocket, then pulled out his wallet, and checked its contents.

"Everything there?" She said, cringing. She hadn't thought at all about what would be in Nick's pockets before pulling him into the large toilet.

"Yep, just a little soggy, gonna need to dry everything out." He put the wallet back in his rear pocket. "Shall we?"

"I'm sorry, really—"

"Carrots, seriously, it's fine— what we went through, to get what we needed, it was worth it," Nick smiled down at her. "Besides, no injuries! That's always a plus."

Nick was right; the feeling of finding what they needed to incriminate Lionheart and bring back the missing mammals, savage or no, was more than worth the trials they endured. Judy felt a sense of accomplishment and confidence, and a warmth at her new found friendship with an unlikely partner.

Nick walked past her, "I think I can see a road from here, we should just be able to follow it back to the van."

"I'll use my GPS once my hands are dry enough, good thing one of us has a working phone," Judy said, catching up to him.

"First thing's first; you call that head chef of yours and tell him we got his order of one missing mammal plus an entire dozen others," Nick said triumphantly.

"Uh, before that, looks like we've got to do a little rock climbing," Judy peered into the distance, and skipped away, easily outpacing him.

Nick raised a brow at her as he jogged after. There, he saw what she had seen, a short cliff with deep fissures and jagged, rocky ledges running all along the coast. There was no way around it for the immediate area. And unfortunately for Nick, it was several times his own height, making it impossible for him to pounce over.

"Well, great, we just… need to… find our way around," Nick said hopefully, putting his paws on his hips, looking up at the intimidating obstacle.

"Hmm, I don't know, this looks like a bench, it's going to be that same height probably all the way along the coast of the lake," Judy mused, rubbing her head in thought.

"A _bench_?" Nick looked down at her.

"Yeah— at some point in time, the lake's water level reached up to there," She pointed up to the edge of the cliff. "It must have receded— pretty quickly it seems, to leave such a defined bench."

He looked at her, impressed.

"I, um, used to rock climb, back in Bunnyburrow," she bragged, "These types of rock faces are _great_ for it. Think you're up to the task?"

"I still think I'd prefer to find a way around it," Nick shook his head, "But by all means, show me what you've got!"

"Oh, come on, it's not even that tall! I'll teach you!" Judy said, excitedly.

Nick sighed in defeat, "Alright, I'll give it a try…"

"Yes! Come on, first, watch how I do it," Judy jogged up to the wall and began examining for places to grab, planning her ascent. She squatted down in preparation for a jump, balancing her rear behind her. Nick couldn't help but notice her tail twitch in anticipation before she took off. She launched nearly twice Nick's height onto the wall, grabbing onto a suitable hand hold. She kicked from her position and landed on an incline that lead into a fissure in the rock face and leapt again, clearing the rest of the wall entirely and landing at the top.

She turned around and smiled proudly down at Nick, "See? Nothing to it!"

Nick nodded noting how graceful she made it seem, "Uh-huh, yeah, I can _totally_ do that, you know, just grab on to that part there, carry the one…" Nick mockingly drew in the air, "Ah, according to my calculations, let's see here, yep, I'm gonna fall and crack my skull open." He pivoted in his place, giving her a lazy salute as he looked along one side of the coast, "I'm gonna look for a tree to climb or something."

" _What?_ " she whined, "Come on, I'll help you!" She crouched down on the ledge, dangling her feet, then let herself fall, and entered a roll as she hit the ground. She grabbed Nick's paw and ushered him towards the cliff face and examined it.

"Seriously, I almost _died_ when we went for a little swim, I'm obviously not in any shape to be doing rock climbing," he protested. "Look at my paws! They're all wrinkly!"

"Nick, rock climbing is literally the funnest, easiest thing to learn, just trust me!"

Nick's shoulders slumped as he cocked his head upward in relent.

"C'mon, put your first hand here," she guided his hand, "And now your other hand. Mm-hmm, put your right foot… here."

Judy continued teaching her new student on the art of climbing. Nick noticed how she smiled every time he managed to get just a little higher on the wall, she climbed around effortlessly as she told him where to put his next appendage.

"Not so scary, right?" Judy said encouragingly, Nick was almost to the top.

"It's not that it's scary, we're not that far up, this wall isn't that tall."

"Says the fox who had to be coerced, cajoled, and _forced_ into learning how to climb," Judy mimicking Nick's voice.

"Uh-huh, funny."

Judy climbed ahead to the top and stared down over the ledge, "I think you've got this under control, I'll help pull you up when you get there."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I'll see you in like an hour," he grumbled. His legs were starting to shake as he managed to find new foot holds for them.

Judy laughed, looking down proudly at her canid pupil. But her phone distracted her with an urgent buzz, and she took out the plastic baggy that contained it from her belt pocket. It was a text message from her parents.

( Tried calling again, you must still be working! We'll try calling tonight. ) She read.

Deciding her paws were dry enough, she wiped the dirt and dust from rock climbing on her vest and pulled out the phone from its plastic protection.

She tapped a response to her parents. ( Yeah, sorry guys! I'll call you later, I'm about to solve my first big case! )

She pocketed it again and checked Nick's progress. He had made some real headway now and was almost to the top, definitely within reach.

"Here," she said, holding her hand out to Nick. "See? You made it!" She beamed.

He grabbed her hand and she helped pull him up. He shifted his feet higher up on the wall as she pulled him up almost effortlessly. He pulled himself the rest of the way up and looked down the short cliff once he was sure he was safe from the ledge.

"Some grip you have there!" Nick said, surprised at how easily she was able to pull him up. "Next time, it might be easier if you just carry me up the wall."

Judy laughed at this and pulled her phone back out. No response yet from her parents. Nick splayed out next to her, glad to have even ground against his back. He flexed his paws open and closed to relieve the stiffness that had come with the ascent.

"I'm calling the station," she said, holding the phone up to her ear. She immediately started pacing around the prone and exhausted Nick.

"Downtown Savanna Police Department," a familiar cheery voice greeted her from the other end.

"Clawhauser, hey it's Officer Hopps," she said in a confident and bubbly voice.

"Hopps!" He practically yelled back, "Where are you? You didn't show up at the precinct since last night! Are you OK? The chief went straight to his office and—"

"Yeah, yeah, Clawhauser listen!" She interrupted the rambling cheetah, "You'll never believe what happened— the missing mammal cases. We found them all!"

A gasp came from the phone, "You what?!" He exclaimed, "Where are you? I'll send backup— do you need any medical teams? T.U.S.K.? Copters? Just say the word!"

"Uh," Judy thought back to the condition the other mammals were found in, "Yes, we're going to need medical for the missing mammals, they're uh… in pretty bad shape, and I think we'll be needing to make a few arrests. But I'm fine, no injuries!"

"Oh my gosh, Hopps, I'll go get the Chief right now. Stay on the line!" The phone went quiet.

Nick sat up and looked at her quizzically. Even in his sitting position, he was about the same height as Judy.

She gave him a thumbs up, "Clawhauser's getting the—"

"Hopps!" Clawhauser came back on the line, "I suppose I should ask where you are first. Haha, whoopsie!"

"Oh, um," Judy looked at Nick, who gave her a raised eyebrow, "Nick, where exactly are we?"

"Here, gimme the phone," he reached out for it. Judy obliged. "Hey, so we're outside the city, near Tahrpol Falls, we're in the eastern area of South Canyon, off road of the Ficus underpass… Yeah… No, no, the _east_ exit…"

Nick continued to give directions to their location. Judy could hear the loud cheetah asking who Nick was, but he spoke with such an air of authority, directing Clawhauser with precise instructions, what they would need to bring, what kind of resistance to expect— Clawhauser quickly took to talking with him as if he were a member of the force. He must have done this many times before, she concluded.

"Oh! And can someone grab me a cup of coffee? I'd appreciate it! _Thaaanks!_ " He handed the phone back to Judy, which she took.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Hopps, try to make your way back to the road, I'm going to notify the Chief, OK? We'll have medical on the way as well, you stay safe until they get there."

"We will, thanks, Clawhauser."

"Uh-huh," he said in a motherly tone, "See you back at the station. Call me if there's any new developments!" He hung up.

"Well, shall we?" She said to Nick, tapping on her phone to bring up the GPS.

"Lead the way, Officer," He said, gesturing Judy to take the lead. While she was the one with the GPS, there was another certain reason he had asked her to walk in front of him. A certain curiosity.

 _Interesting…_ he thought, criticizing himself, _Developing a certain_ ** _attraction_** _are we…? Yes, yes we are._

* * *

 _Night_

"Oh— I'm so cold!" Judy said, shivering in the van. The cold from swim, rain, and growing night was truly getting to her now. With all daylight gone, the chill was settling into her bones. With her clothes still damp, the raw night air was making it unbearable.

"It takes a while for the van's heaters to warm up," Nick said, getting up from the driver's seat to recline in the banana chair across from Judy. "Here, you need to dry off, Fin won't mind if you get these dirty."

"Agh!" She yelled, jumping off of Finnick's bed, "I didn't even _realize_ I was getting mud on his bed!"

"Ey-ey, it's OK!" He said, tossing Judy several of Finnick's towels at her. "I'll clean up the van before we give it back to him. Just focus on warming up."

"Right, agh, I'm freezing…" Judy settled down, still shivering, her rabbit teeth chattering away with audible clicks. She placed a towel on the bed before carefully sitting back on it. She wrapped a towel tightly around herself and pulled her legs underneath its coverage.

"Uh- _huh_ , yeah, I noticed." Nick teased, wrapping a towel over himself. He was cold, too, but not nearly as cold as the rabbit seemed; his fur was much thicker and designed for colder, wetter weather. "I could _really_ go for some hot coffee right now, carrots."

"Hah, well, my treat," she offered, grinning a chattering rabbit smile at him.

Nick looked at her smile. Her jaw vibrated as she chattered, her big front teeth taking his attention. _She really is cute,_ he thought, smiling back to her. His face became warm; he realized he had been looking at her for a while without speaking. He met her eyes, but quickly became uncomfortable and broke eye contact, looking elsewhere, anywhere but Judy.

The two had needed to move the van to a more secluded area, deeper into the trees. They would see in the distance that the Cliffside compound was on high alert with searchlights ablaze and tiny figures running to and fro. The chaos seemed to quiet down after the van had moved though, presumably because they didn't actually see any intruders. Nick wondered if maybe they would attribute the 'breach' to an over-stressed Mayor Lionheart hearing things. All the two needed to do now was to wait for the rest of the officers to arrive to make the arrests and take the savage mammals to the hospital.

The van's heater was still pushing out cold air. Judy started rocking back and forth and closed her eyes, teeth chattering louder. Nick was still cold, but he wasn't shivering, in fact he was getting warmer.

 _I need to get her warmed up, she looks like she's in actual pain…_ He thought, concerned. An idea came to mind. _Really?_ ** _This_** _is what I'm gonna do?_ He stood up, and moved toward Judy. _Yes, yes it is_.

Clearing his throat nervously, he reached out from his towel and smoothed the bed next to the freezing Judy and sat next to her.

"Oh— um," Judy squeaked. "Th-thanks." She scooted closer to him awkwardly.

The contact from Judy's shivering form made Nick slightly uncomfortable, yet, he felt compelled to keep her warm.

"Mm- _hmm_ ", he replied shortly, giving her a warm smile. "I, um," he cleared his throat, "they _are_ coming, right…? It's been nearly an hour since you called."

"Y-yeah," she stammered through her chattering teeth. "But i-it to-ok us like, two hours to drive out here, r-remember?"

He looked down at her, concerned. Her shivering had not let up in the slightest. "Carrots, are you OK?"

"Y-yeah!" she piped up, her face feeling hot. _At least my face is warm…_ she thought, pulling her cold ears to feel the warmth in her cheeks. "I just… h-how did it get so cold?"

"Well, we are up in the mountains, plus we're near that waterfall," he explained. He wasn't that cold. In fact, despite still being fairly damp, Nick was reaching a comfortable temperature. "Actually, let me check the heater."

Judy scooted over to allow him room to get up. He reached above to feel the air coming out of the heater. Cold.

"Agh…" Nick said, turning the 'heater' off. "I guess it's broken… Sorry." He cursed himself for letting cold air blow into the van.

"Ah, it's OK," Judy said, her chattering was getting better, "Can you… come sit with me some more?" She attempted to hide her ears, knowing that Nick would see her blush tell.

"Uh, Y-yeah, of course," Nick suppressed a nervous gulp and tried to act casual. He walked evenly back to the mattress and reassumed his position. She huddled up next to him, too cold to have reservations, and leaned her head on his toweled arm.

The sound of the heater gone, they could hear the rain falling from the trees above them, thudding against the metal roof of the van, the wind swishing through the soaked vegetation. The two sat in this ambiance, the fading light from outside slowly fading to darkness as a blanket of storm clouds overwhelmed the remaining glow of a past sunset.

Judy noted how it was getting dark in the van, and considered asking Nick to turn on a light. But that would require leaving the comfort of his warmth. She then recalled he was a fox, a species known for their night vision.

"What do you, uh…" Nick started, "What do you think will happen with those mammals—? The ones that went savage?"

Judy paused, what _was_ going to happen? "I don't know," she admitted, "I've never seen anything like it, it's like they… _reverted_."

Nick was still trying to accept what was happening; he had never seen any mammal act that way. He knew that the instincts were there, he could "act" savage and it would feel… _natural_. But it was as if those mammals had 'lost' themselves, became something much more primitive.

"Whatever happened to them, I hope it's not permanent…" Nick said, remembering what the scientist talking with the Mayor had said, how they knew nothing about their condition.

"Mm," Judy agreed, solemnly. "Whatever reason the Mayor had for kidnapping them, hiding them— huh?" Judy looked up at Nick, who had removed his arm from beneath her.

Nick lifted his arm, bringing it around Judy's head and wrapping her in his towel. She moved to allow this gesture, leaning her head gingerly on his chest.

"Don't worry," he comforted, his voice cracking slightly, "If there's a solution— a cure, they'll find it in Zootopia. Not whatever that evil lab the mayor had set up."

Judy's ears and face grew warmer. The contact with Nick, which had earlier made him uncomfortable, now let the two grow closer. She made sure to hide her ears from the fox behind her head, in case he was watching. She considered looking for his tell again, but decided to enjoy this moment. It was too dark, besides.

"So, um…" Nick's tone indicated a change of the subject. While he was getting used to the idea that Judy was a more 'physical' mammal than he was, he was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of hugs, and… _this_. "You're a real cop now?"

"Yeah, it seems that way," she grinned, closing her eyes, feeling the precious warmth of her friend. "But I don't think anything's final yet… the Chief might still try to find a way to get rid of me…"

"Hmph, yeah I know his type… You work your whole life for something, and other mammals just seek to… take it all away from you…"

Judy recalled his story about the bullies in the Jr. Ranger Scouts. Her heart felt for him— to be so excited, feeling you've found your place, your worth, only to have it brutally taken from you. He had protected her from that, something she would never forget. But… it was too late for Nick, there was no one to protect him.

 _Is it too late?_ She thought. _It may have been a long time ago, but…_

"Nick?"

"Mm-hmm?" He hummed, looking at Judy.

"If you hadn't become a… you know…" Judy paused.

"Con-mammal? It's OK, you can say it," he chucked.

"Yeah, if you hadn't become a… con-mammal, what do you think you would've been?"

"Hmm," he pondered, "I, uh… haven't thought of that for a long time. One of those things I just… forgot about, you know? It's like… it didn't matter so…"

"If you don't wanna talk about it, it's—"

"Oh, no, no, I just…" Nick paused, memories of his childhood coming to mind, when he had a dream, before he realized how the world really was. "I've always wanted to be… now don't laugh— I wanted to be a secret agent."

Judy snickered, "Really?"

"Hey, hey," Nick said, indignant. Judy gasped as she realized what she had done, "I said _don't_ laugh," he said in a falsely pained voice.

"Ah! Sorry, I didn't—!"

"Nope, s'too late!" Nick covered his eyes with his free arm dramatically. It was lost on her, however. Too dark for the rabbit's eyes. "You _hurt_ my _feelings_!"

Judy scoffed teasingly, "Oh, come on! Tell me why you wanted to be a secret agent," She pressed a sharp elbow into his ribs, making him yelp.

"Hah, who wouldn't!? You've seen the movies right? Fancy gadgets, pretty cars."

"Mmm, no, don't really watch many spy movies," Judy smiled, listening to Nick become enthusiastic with the idea of his lost dream.

"You. Are. In. For. A treat," he said excitedly, "This fox is going to show you some spy movies on the best screen in Zootopia. And _I_ get to watch _you_ experience 007 James Fawn for the first time!"

"Yeah, sounds fun, count on it!" Judy could see Nick's eyes catch the light in the darkness. She watched them as he blinked, the glint of them disappearing for the smallest second.

Judy felt her phone vibrate, "Ah, probably my parents."

( Good job Jude! You finding out who left their car parked in a fire lane? )

Judy sighed, as Nick read the message over her.

"Fire lane?" He asked.

"M'yeah, the folks still think I'm a meter maid..."

Then, suddenly, she grew stiff and cocked her head forward. Her ears straight up, listening intently. Nick looked at the alarmed rabbit, then around for what had alerted her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him.

"What is it?" Nick asked hoarsely.

"Uh…" she held up a hand for him to be quiet, her ears tracking a sound towards the rear of the van. "Footsteps."

"Your guys?" Nick took his arm from behind Judy and tossed his towel aside. Crouching low, he slinked toward the rear door.

"Um…" Judy kept listening, "They sound like heavy footsteps, definitely not a wolf."

Nick looked out the window of one of the doors, "Flashlights… Should we go out and see?"

"No," Judy whispered, keeping her ears trained on the sound, "We let them come to us— if it's an officer, they'll declare themselves when they knock."

"But they might not find the van," Nick argued quietly, "We hid it pretty—"

"Shush," Judy insisted, "I think they already did, they're coming this way."

"Oh, well, if it's the wolves then we're dead."

"It's not the wolves!"

"Then why are we whispering?!" He whispered loudly.

"I don't know!" She whispered louder.

The two jumped at the sound of metal clanking on the van, "ZPD, is there anyone in there?" A voice bellowed from outside. Rays of light shown in through the rear windows.

The two breathed a sigh of relief as Judy leaped to open the door, revealing a large rhino police officer who shone a flashlight into the interior of the van.

"Ah, it's the meter maid!" The rhino announced as the rabbit opened the door. He hit a button on his shoulder radio and turned to speak into it, "This is McHorn, I found Officer Hopps."

* * *

Judy made her way to the Cliffside building's entrance through the parked police cruisers. There were more arriving by the second, most of them being loaded with a mammal in handcuffs, the majority of which were wolves. Several helicopters trained their search lights on the building and its entry way.

Bogo waved her over, he was ordering another officer who had arrested the Mayor to wait.

Nick walked alongside, holding the cup of coffee Clawhauser had delivered on. He had been in sore need of it. Judy smirked at how Nick could candidly ask for something and get it, that air of authority of his smoothly convinced many to go along with him. The nickname "Red leader" rang true in this instance.

"Go ahead," Nick nudged her, "This is your big moment." He walked off to the sidelines to watch.

Judy observed the fox walk off, and was about to turn away when she saw him run up to a wolf. She stared as he swiftly got between the arrestee and his destination— an open door to the back of a police car. "Whoa, whoa, hold it!" Nick said to the officer, who looked at him confused. He nonchalantly reached to the wolf's trench coat and took the sunglasses that were hanging from his front chest pocket. "Do you mind?" he said, taking the glasses and waving them in front of his face. "Thanks, buddy." He snapped them open with the flick of his wrist and placed them deftly on his muzzle. He then swept a paw in gesture for the officer to continue. "Take him away, Officer." The officer, though surprised, didn't seem to think Nick would have done that without some authority and continued with the arrest.

 _Lookin' slick, Nick,_ she grinned, impressed by his ability to get what he wanted with his charismatic… foxy-ness. _He_ ** _is_** _a pretty handsome fox_ , she nodded, feeling her face and ears grow warmer. Nick sauntered over to the building's entrance and leaned against an inner alcove. He then turned his attention towards her and gave her a nod, sipping his coffee. She shook her head quickly and tried to focus.

She made her way through the plethora of officers making arrests, a lot of which she didn't recognize— probably nightshift, or officers from other precincts.

"Chief!" Judy stood proudly at attention in front of Bogo.

"Hopps," he greeted her sternly, but she could tell in his voice there was a tone of vindication, though she couldn't tell why. " _Quite_ the stir you've caused this late at night."

"You can't do this!" The mayor complained in desperation. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? Please, just listen to me!"

He took the cuffed mayor by the arm roughly, giving him a contemptuous grin, before turning back to Judy. "Officer, I believe you should be the one to do the honors," he announced in an overly pleasant voice, motioning at the mayor and starting their walk towards a free police cruiser.

Judy felt her pride swell, "Oh—! Of course!" She replied before turning to the mayor and began to keep pace alongside them, walking tall and proud. "Mayor Lionheart, you have the right to remain silent!"

Her first arrest had been a common burglar. Her second was the mayor of the biggest mammalian city in the world. She really was going places. Nick couldn't help but feel some pride as well. Maybe anybody _could_ be anything in Zootopia after all.


	8. Misery

J _une 7th, 20X8_

 _Night_

 _South Canyon_

Nick backed up the van out of the brush where they had hidden it, the wheels of which were caked in mud. He had to wait several minutes to merge onto the main road heading up to the Cliffside facility. There were still plenty of cruisers, ambulances, and even a few news vans clogging up the only street. Finally he was able to make his way up to where he left Judy, who was standing on the side of the road.

"See?" Nick rolled down the window and leaned out the driver's side, "I do _too_ drive!" He rested his paws on the edge of the window, staring down at the bunny.

"Yeah, _OK_ ," she said, giving him a grin. "So, are you driving us home then?"

"You're riding with me? Figured you'd at least get shotgun with your new buddies," he said smugly, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Nope, chief sent me home," she stated proudly. "Said I'd need some sleep for the conference tomorrow. We'll be announcing the case's closure and the rescue of all missing mammal cases."

"Oh goody," Nick hopped out of the van, leaving the engine running. "Guess _you'll_ be driving us back to town then!" He gestured for Judy to get in the vacated driver's seat before walking around towards the passenger's side.

Judy scoffed, _suppose I should've expected that_ , she thought as she climbed into the driver's seat. She found the seat still warm from his body heat, and was grateful for the relief from the cold night air. Judy put the car into gear and began the long drive back into town, the road ahead littered with flashing lights.

"So, that all the Chief said? 'Go home, you're done here?'" Nick said, disappointed. "Didn't even congratulate you? No apology?"

"Oh, he did!" Judy grinned, "At least… I _think_ he did…"

"C'mon, what'd he say?"

"He said he'd talk to me in the morning, and that, 'he misjudged me,'" she said plainly.

"…That's it?"

"Oh, believe me, with _him_ , that's as close to an apology as I think I'm ever going to get."

"Huh…" Nick shrugged, yawning, "I guess we'll take what we can get, right?"

"He didn't ask for my badge!" She said confidently, "I definitely take that as a good sign, oh— and he called me Officer!" She was practically bouncing in her seat.

Nick smiled at this, "Mm-hmm, I think we did it, carrots. You're officially a cop."

Nick's fatigue was catching up to him, the adrenaline from the earlier events had started to wear off and was now leaving him with no energy.

"You can sleep if you're tired," Judy offered, "it's gonna be about an hour before we get back to town."

Nick's eyes shot open. It was getting late, and Finnick might have tried to call him on his broken phone.

"Carrots! I need to use your phone."

Judy reached into her belt and pulled out the phone, which Nick promptly took.

He dialed Finnick's number.

"Hey, who's this?" Finnick asked on the other end.

"Fin! It's Nick, uh, my phone is a little wet, so I'm calling you from Carrot's—er… Judy's phone."

"Niiick!" He grumbled, "'Bout time you frikkin' remember me… Ain't at the girlfriend's place no more, she didn't want me staying for who-knows-how-many hours you two been gone. Went… better than expected, though. I took a ZUber to your place and let myself in."

"Ok, was just wondering where you were, little buddy."

"So, you done with the little adventure then?" Finnick asked, "Can I get my home back now?"

"Mm-hmm," Nick said, but then remembered that his bed was a bit muddy. "Oh, I'm gonna need to switch out your sheets before I—"

"What?!" Finnick almost shouted, "Nicky, you best not be saying what I think your sayin'— you using my bed for funky stuff, I best be poppin' you one—"

Nick's face flushed and all the fur on his neck stood on end. Somehow, he managed to keep his composure and after a hard gulp, said in an even tone, " _Buddy_ , listen, it just got muddy. It's been _raining_ up in South Canyon."

Judy looked over to Nick, confused at strangely forced cadence and what he could be talking about with Finnick. Nick just shrugged.

"Ahh, Nick," Finnick said, chuckling rather boisterously. "You know I'm just playin', but seriously though, I wanna know what you and that bunny girl've been doing all day— she a real cop yet? She find her missin' marmot or whatever?"

"It was an otter," Nick corrected, "and I guess you'll have to buy me a cold one to find out, right?"

Finnick huffed, "Like you'd actually drink it. I'll give you a cold pop right in the face, how's that?"

"Mm-hmm, I'll see you later bud."

"Yeah, whatever," Finnick hung up.

Nick held out the phone to Judy, "Thanks."

Judy felt around in the dark for Nick's hand, she found it grabbing onto Nick's larger paw before finding her way up to the phone. She pocketed it.

"So, where is he?" Judy asked, "Are we picking him up?"

"Mmm, I'm sure you're wanting to get some sleep for your big award ceremony tomorrow, carrots," Nick teased, "I myself would like a medal, if you don't mind."

Judy smiled at him in the dark. The only light was coming from the glow of the dash board and the headlights shining on the road ahead. But it was enough light for Nick to see her.

"Anyway," Nick continued, "Go ahead and drive to your place, I'll take the van from there. I'm gonna have a nap while you drive."

"OK, but, um…" She hesitated.

"What's up?"

"You should be with me, at the press conference tomorrow," she insisted earnestly.

"Heh, was there any doubt?" Nick said in his signature smug tone, "This fox wouldn't miss it for the world, carrots."

* * *

 _June 8th, 20X8_

 _Morning_

Clawhauser let out a gasp as he looked up from his phone. "Ohhh! Little bunny, how're you feelin'? Did you get some sleep? Please tell me you got some sleep," The rotund cheetah wore a face of concern and guilt. He was wedged in his seat snugly behind the front desk in the brightly lit police precinct.

"Hi, Clawhauser," Judy replied, wearing a glowing expression. "I slept great, thank you!"

"Oh, goodness, hunny-bunny, I just found out what Bogo did to you!" He said apologetically, "I had no idea he had only given you 48 hours; I said those things to you while you were trying to investigate—" His voice was higher than usual, strained and concerned.

"Clawhauser—" Judy's ear twitched momentarily.

"Oh, and he was trying to make you _quit_ , and he was just gonna make you keep doing parking duty—!" His voice seemed to raise an octave with each new realization.

"Hey—!"

"Oh, little bunny, I'm so sorry—!" A series of barely recognizable squeaks.

"Benjamin!" Judy yelled, before the large cat's voice could get any higher. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Look, look, it's OK, I don't know what you heard, but everything's fine, I'm not getting fired, I cracked the case! We can all put this messy business behind us, OK? No need to break down on me!"

"Ohhh," Clawhauser looked at the bunny, still looking guilty, his paws bunching up near his profound chin. "Judy, if Bogo ever does that to you again, you come right to me, OK? We won't be tolerating him bullying you."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Judy laughed, feeling grateful for his concern. "But thanks, Clawhauser, I appreciate it."

"Now-now, you call me Ben, or Benji, there's no need for last names between us," Ben said, trying to make up for his disregard for her troubles. "Now Bogo wants to speak with you, and it **better** be an apology— he tries to give you any more of his _bull_ crap, I swear I'll walk over there and twist his little bully head off and shove it up his tail long-ways. _OK_?"

"Oh— uh, wow…!" Judy remarked, incredulous at Ben's sudden unexpected promise of violence, "I'll uh— I'll go see him now. Thanks Ben, I really appreciate you looking out for me."

"Don't mention it, Judy-bunny," he gave her a sincere yet sorrowful smile, "He's waiting for you down the hall here, near the south conference room. He's just getting ready for the press." He pointed down the hall behind himself. "Oh-oh, Judy, wait, wait," Ben piped up before she could walk away, "Here, lemme give you my number, let's stay in touch OK? You text me anytime the chief or any other officer else gives you trouble."

"Oh! Thanks, Ben, I'm sure I'll be fine, but it'll be nice to chat with you here and there."

The two exchanged numbers.

"Text me anytime, bun-bun, I'm always a good texter, but you tell me if I send you too many memes, I can get a little carried away," Ben guffawed hardily.

The two said their goodbyes, then Judy finally made her way to the Chief. He was talking with a giraffe, much taller than he was so he had to strain his neck to look up at him. They were talking about setting up equipment and what to show on the monitors during the conference. Bogo turned to Judy shortly after as the giraffe went on his way.

"Officer Hopps," he said stiffly.

"You wanted to speak with me, Chief?" She tried to hide a smile from the affirmation of the proper title.

He let out a sigh, "Yes. I want to go over the press conference with you, seeing as this will be your first..." he eyed her up and down and let out another deep sigh. "But... I need to talk, mammal-to-mammal."

"Of course, sir, what do you need to talk about?" She asked cautiously as the buffalo scrunched his muzzle. His face looked pained, like whatever he was going to say was difficult.

"Hopps, you're a rookie. From the first day I heard you were going to be assigned to me, I knew there was going to be trouble—"

"But, sir!" Judy protested, not believing she still hadn't proven herself. Her stomach turned over in a panic, "I—!"

"Hopps!" Bogo interrupted, putting his cloven hoof up to silence her, "I am sure you think you know where this conversation is headed, and I assure you that you've got the wrong idea. Let me continue." He put his hooves behind his back.

"Y-yes, sorry, sir," She tried to mentally undo the knots turning over in her gut.

"Hopps," Bogo huffed, avoiding her eye contact uncharacteristically, "I knew there was going to be trouble when you were assigned to me. Not from you, but from everywhere else."

"Sir?" Judy said, confused.

"I'll keep this quick, Hopps," he continued, "I'm not very good at apologies—" He glanced down the hallway she had come from, "—And you may never hear one from me again. I treated you unfairly, and I was wrong… I'm sorry." He stood straight and waited for her response, letting his pride lower for just this moment.

Judy could feel her pride swell in response; she had solved the case, all of them. She had undoubtedly proven herself worthy of her uniform several times over. There was no denying it.

"Thank you, sir!" Her face glowed, "I'm glad I could prove myself to you after all."

"You still have a lot to learn, Hopps," his voice shifted back into sternness. "You're still a rookie, you lack experience. That only comes with time."

Judy held onto those words; she had overcome one obstacle, only to be presented with another. She was determined to keep going. She'd prove herself time and time again, if need be.

"Then I'll show you that I can handle myself day in and day out, for as long as it takes for you to see me as a real cop," she promised, standing tall with her hands clasped behind her back.

Bogo allowed a rare smile at her, "Good, I will overlook your… physical limitations from now on. I expect you to perform duties just as any of my other officers. So, we'll get you situated to be a 'real cop.'"

"Yes!" Judy shouted. She couldn't be happier to have heard those words; after a few hitches and bumps, she was going to be recognized as a real cop. "Yes, yes, YES!" Her enthusiasm continued loudly.

Bogo did his best to ignore the triumphant outburst, his eyes rolling upward as they shut. He was going to regret this, he was sure of it. "You'll need a firearm, we'll see what we need to get a cruiser outfitted for your... size. And you'll need a partner. We can discuss this later, but for now, follow me. We meet with the press shortly."

Judy hadn't thought of that, she would need a partner. She hadn't had time to get to know any of the other officers, or even if any of them were available to be partnered up with her.

"Oh, and Hopps," he continued in a unusually sweet voice, "A certain Assistant Mayor called me yesterday inquiring as to why you had to go to _her_ to use the traffic cam system. Clawhauser has the paperwork you'll need for logging into the computer at your desk."

 _I have a desk!?_ She screamed internally, both in surprise and jubilation.

The chief began walking past her.

"Chief!" She said, she had an idea. There was one other mammal that she worked perfect with, and if a bunny could be a cop, then…

He turned to look at her, in mid-step.

"I do have a request, actually," she started, "to have someone assigned to be my partner."

"Oh?" The chief looked puzzled. He pivoted to face her better with both hooves planted on the ground.

"Yes," she said confidently. "I would like to request, Nicholas Wilde... the fox who helped me crack the case."

Bogo's face turned skeptical. "The fox...?" He paused, not sure how to continue.

"Nick would make an excellent officer," she resumed, "I really couldn't have done it without him."

"No," Bogo said sternly, "Hopps, he's not an officer. You can't ask for a civilian to be your partner."

"I mean, he can go to the academy!" Judy reasoned, "I'm sure he would graduate, and I already know we work great together!"

Bogo scrunched his snout, still skeptical, "You realize that you'd be waiting for at least the next six months?"

Her heart beat faster, _This could actually happen! Nick and I could be partners!_. "Yes, I understand, sir, and I fully stand behind my request to have him as my partner."

Bogo looked at her, his shoulders raising, then lowering as he took in a breath. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Alright," Bogo relented, "Have Wilde fill out an employment application. Clawhauser will give you one, I'll interview him personally."

Judy was elated "Oh! Thank you, sir! He won't disappoint you!"

"He better not, Hopps," Bogo agreed. "I only said I'd allow him to be assigned here and to be your partner. It's up to him to pass the police academy, which, I'm sure you're aware, is not a cake walk. If he flunks out or gets anything less than stellar scores, there's nothing I can do. Precinct One can only accept cadets who have graduated top of their class."

Judy hesitated, but reminded herself to believe in Nick. "Of course, sir, we won't let you down." A aura of stern confidence surrounded her.

Bogo only gave a gruff approving sigh as a response, but let the smallest hint of a smile show through before promptly removing it. He said nothing further, and walked away towards the podium set up for the conference.

Judy walked back over to the front desk to talk to Clawhauser. Somehow, he seemed to have poured himself a bowl of cereal and was munching away quite happily as he greeted the incoming members of the press. She assumed he must have had a mini-fridge behind the desk for storing the milk, as she didn't notice him leaving his post as she spoke with Bogo.

"Hey, Ben," Judy spoke up, "The Chief said I have a—"

"Oh, sweetie," he spoke, putting down his bowl of cereal, milk spilling from his mouth. He wiped at his generous chin with a napkin before continuing. "Did he apologize to you? Because I swear, if he didn't apologize—"

"Oh, yes, yes he did," She held her paws up, trying to assuage the impending thoughts of violence Ben was no doubt conjuring up. "He even promised to get me properly equipped, so everything's all good, Ben, no need for the, uh— crazy protective-cheetah-mode." She laughed nervously.

"Good! Oh, dear, I'm so glad we got that squared away. I can. Not. Stand it when the chief bullies anyone! Especially if it's a new recruit."

"But, um, the chief said something about my desk?"

"Uh- _huh?_ "

"Wwwwhere is that exactly?"

Ben said nothing, slowly raising his paws to cover his agape mouth.

Judy looked around awkwardly, trying to determine what Ben was so aghast about.

"He didn't even show you your desk?" He finally said behind his paws, his eyes wide.

"Nope, this is the first I've heard of it."

"Oh, that STUPID buffalo!" Ben's face turned from a look of horror to one of rage. "I swear how does he even come off— How did you clock in without your computer? How did you—?"

"Ben, Ben!" She spoke loudly, trying to steer him away from further ranting, "You know what, we can talk about all this later— I should get ready for the press."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course!" He said, waving a hand at her. "You go get ready for that, they should be starting up in about twenty minutes."

"Speaking of which, have you seen Nick— well, a fox come in?" She asked, looking around the lobby for her friend.

"Oh, that's _right_ ," Clawhauser leaned forward on his elbows propping up his chin. "I heard you worked with a civilian to crack the case! A fox even!"

"Yep, he promised he would be here for the press conference," she smiled fondly.

"Oh, I'm sure you've got a story to tell," Clawhauser grinned, Judy got the feeling he was the gossipy type. "You'll have to tell me _all_ about him when you get off-duty tonight."

"Aaah, there's not much to tell," She waved a paw at him, "Just me doing my job protecting the city. And Nick being a Good Samaritan, of course."

Clawhauser's expression again changed, to one of adoration and admiration. "Oh, you are so _humble_ , too! You are _just_ what this precinct needs. And that fox, oh, if he were an officer, you two would be so _great_ together!"

Judy grinned warmly at this compliment. "Oh, before I forget, can I get an employment application?"

"But you're already—" Clawhauser gasped at the realization. "You're gonna ask the fox to…?"

Judy grinned excitedly, nodding in affirmation.

Clawhauser gave out a high pitched, drawn out "Ohhh!" He waved his hands around in the air, looking around behind his desk. "Where did I put them? Ah, yes! There we go, one job application!" He handed the form to Judy, who scanned it quickly before folding it up and stuffing it into her tactical belt's rear pocket. "So exciting! I can't wait! First, a bunny officer, then a fox officer, what an exciting age to live in!" He was elated. But something else caught his attention quickly— she turned to see the front doors catching the light whenever mammals passed through into the lobby. "Oh! But I've kept you long enough," Clawhauser shook his head and returned his attention to his now soggy cereal. "You go get ready, and look for that future partner of yours. I'll send him your way if I see him."

Judy nodded, "Thanks, Ben!"

He simply nodded in response, his mouth already full of cereal.

Judy wandered around the rapidly filling lobby. She was getting anxious about what to say when Bogo would call her up to the podium. She kept looking around for Nick, _where is he?_ , she wondered. She pulled out her phone to check the time, _3 Minutes… Oh, Nick, hurry up._

While he didn't need to be there, she felt comforted knowing that he would be nearby watching her, projecting his foxy confidence towards her. His charismatic, adaptable aura was contagious, and now that she had spent some time apart from him she could feel it wearing off.

She started walking to the entrance where several press mammals were still filing in. A familiar fluffy red tail caught her eye. Relieved, Judy hopped over to Nick as he followed some taller mammals.

"Nick!" She called out.

"There she is!" Nick smiled as they caught each other's eye, "How's the little super trooper?"

"Best sleep I've had since I moved here," she said, giving him a soft punch on his arm.

"Well, good, all that work you did on that case deserves some good sleep," he simply looked at her with his usual relaxed grin. She wondered if his face just naturally settled like that.

"Hey, this is your case as much as mine," she tapped the Jr. police sticker still on his shirt pocket. She was strangely happy to see he hadn't taken it off. It was apparent from his wrinkled state of clothes that he must have slept in his multipurpose attire. In truth, she had done the same, but she had at least changed out of them in the morning.

"Eh," he shrugged simply, "I was just along for the ride."

"There you are!" A cheery voice interjected.

The two turned to see an ecstatic Bellwether. She was rather excited, clopping her hooves on the floor as she briskly walked towards Judy, her glasses slipping from her face, which she promptly pushed back up.

"Assistant Mayor Bellwether!" Judy smiled, turning towards her.

"Please, Judy, call me Dawn," Bellwether insisted, clasping her hooves together in front of her skirt. She turned to Nick, "The same goes for you, too— oh, and I don't think I got your name the first time we met, we didn't get much time to talk!" She giggled candidly.

"Nick, Nick Wilde," he held out a paw to shake her hoof, which she shook energetically.

"Oh, you both did just a super-duper job with the case!" She said, her bubbly voice breaking. "I can't tell you what a tremendous service you both have done for the City."

Judy remarked mentally at how excited Dawn seemed, in spite of the news that Mayor Lionheart had been arrested as the mastermind behind the whole plot.

"You know," Nick shrugged, "Just doing our part."

"Oh, you stop that," Dawn giggled, "Don't you think for one _second_ that what you did wasn't just… amazing! You both really proved that the little guys can really do anything!"

"Well," Judy started, grinning at the energetic lamb, who was practically dancing in place, her hooves clacking on the tile floor. "It's all thanks to the ones that believed in us."

"Not to mention," Nick cut in, "A certain Dawn Bellwether that helped us track down a very important lead."

Dawn laughed bashfully, "Aww, you know, I couldn't turn down the chance to help with such an exciting case—" The sound of microphone feedback echoed through the lobby's speakers, "Oh! Looks like we're starting! Are you ready, Judy?"

Judy let out a sigh, looking up at the podium, where the Chief was getting ready to speak with the awaiting crowd of news mammals. She nodded resolutely, "Yes, as ready as I'll ever be."

She reached into the rear pouch on her tactical belt again, feeling for the empty application Clawhauser had given her. _Would he even be interested?_ she wondered. _Would he even want me as a partner?_ Her paw pinched the form, feeling its edges carefully; she hesitated on pulling it out completely. She'd find a good opportunity to drop it on him.

* * *

Nick sauntered to the van sitting in the parking lot of the police station, his fists clenched in his pockets. Finnick played with his phone, waiting for Nick.

He opened the passenger side door and hopped in, putting on his seatbelt. He subconsciously slammed the door loudly.

"That was quick," Finnick said, putting his phone away, glancing at his friend who wore his usual face. "How'd it go?"

Nick shrugged, "Great! Just some interviews, nothing big— Do you mind taking me to pick up a new phone? Mine got soaked." Nick tapped impatiently on the armrest on the door. "Oh, and I wanna check out that new cafe they opened over on Marten Street. Haven't had breakfast yet."

"Uhm… Is everything OK?" Finnick asked concerned. "Did you even get to talk to Judy?"

"Oh, yeah," Nick chuckled, his hurt barely showing through, "Yeah, I definitely did, she had _plenty_ to say to me."

"Hey, fool, tell me what's goin' on! You tellin' me you just walked in and out of there? Nothing happened and now you're all upset?"

Finnick and Nick had been friends for years, best friends. Even when Nick didn't show it, Finnick could always tell when he was hiding something. But this time Nick wasn't doing a good job of hiding it, he was being sloppy.

After a pause, Nick just shook his head, and sighed.

"Look, buddy," Nick said, "let's just go, OK?"

Finnick eventually started the van, nodding in relent. "A'ight fine, we gonna have a talk about this later, though." Finnick promised.

* * *

 _Night_

Nick fiddled with the new phone, feeling the wrap that he had yet to peel off the fresh device. Finnick had offered to spend some time with Nick, in case there was something he wanted to get off his chest. But he had declined, much to the dismay of his worrisome friend.

He sat alone on his couch in his dark apartment. A glass full of expensive brandy sat untouched on the coffee table in front of him. He was hurting, and his mind was swimming in a mix of strange and familiar emotions. He thought that he would have calmed down by the time he got home, having spent the day with Finnick, not hustling, but doing other things. Errands, shopping, eating, _anything_ to stop thinking about the rabbit police officer.

It didn't work. He was now alone with his thoughts, not able to sort through them any better.

 _Why… did it hurt so much?_ He thought, his chest feeling tight, hollow, _Why did I yell at her like that? Why does it matter?!_

He recalled the look on her face, her nose twitching, her mouth hanging open. She hurt him, and he wanted to hurt her back— and he did, he couldn't stop himself. But it didn't make him feel better.

 _It wouldn't be the first time someone thought I was nothing more than a worthless predator, a worthless shifty fox…_ He scowled at those words, words that he'd heard countless times from mammals of all kinds. _So she's some speciest hillbilly bunny from the country, who cares? Why do I care? So she expected more of me, then turned around and basically told me I'm a no-good predator—_

He growled in frustration. He couldn't put the way he felt into words, or even thoughts. "What did you _do_ to me, bunny?" He stood and picked up the glass of brandy. He was done sulking, done feeling sorry for himself. He had done enough of that in his lifetime, and he wasn't going to let himself spiral into depression again.

Walking over to the kitchen, he did what he did best when something was bothering him: try to accept it, and move on. Only, it wasn't working this time. He raised the glass over the sink, and slowly tipped it, sending the expensive brandy down the drain.

"What did you do…" he whispered, grimacing. Eventually, he shook his head, tired of the emotions. "Just let me be what I am, just… _stay away_ from me."

 _5 Days later_

 _June 13th, 20X8_

 _Night_

 _Savanna Central_

—helped me regain my life. Caracort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. With asthma, I didn't think I could ever get back in the game. But thanks to Caracort, my game has never been better, and can live my life on my terms.

Overall effectiveness and expected side effects may depend on your species, talk to your doctor to see if Caracort is right for you. Risk of high blood pressure is greater for species with a high natural resting heart rate.

If you are uninsured or are otherwise unable to afford your prescription, SinistraNova may be able to help. Just call 1-800—

— were rescued with only minor injuries. In the business world, Nova Ferocia-based Pharmaceutical company, SinistraNova is facing a serious class action lawsuit for its asthma and COPD medication, Caracort. They are also facing a federal audit and investigation, following reports that it knowingly sold an improperly manufactured lot of the drug. The lawsuit is alleging that more than fourteen thousand mammals have developed chronic illnesses through daily usage of the drug, and that—

—the ZDA have blocked further sale of the COPD medication Caracort—

—SinistraNova announced the acquisition of Northern Federation pharmaceutical manufacturer, Allergibbon. The pharma giant declared this deal follows the successful launch of its long-term use COPD and asthma inhaler—

Nick sighed, rubbing his eyes. He had been researching so long that his apartment was now dark; his eyes were strained from staring at the bright screen. He closed his YakBook and stood up from his couch. As usual, he had no lights on his apartment, only the ambient light from the city flowing in through his undraped windows. He grabbed a cup and filled it with water from his fridge's water dispenser.

He strolled over to his window. He could see most of the city, his apartment being on the 53rd floor. His view faced the Zootopia Sound area, most of the city was still very much alive this time of night. Protesting now littered the streets; predator and prey alike marched against one another. One side, wanting safety; the other, equality. Now, these things seemed mutually exclusive.

Nick shook his head and took a long drink from his cup. "Well, we did it, carrots…" he grumbled. Every time he mentioned the rabbit's nickname, his chest would hurt. He would feel angry, frustrated, betrayed. Yet he could not forget the girl who had strolled into his life and accomplished things that he never dreamed a bunny… and a fox… could do. A single anomaly in his philosophy that all mammals **must** be what they are: a dumb bunny, and a sly fox.

"You really had me going," the fox muttered bitterly, "Made me think that I could be… a fox could be a police officer…" He finished his water, letting the paw that held the now empty cup to fall, his arm swinging at his side. He walked away from the window, plopping the cup onto the kitchen counter as he made his way back to the couch. He slumped down, staring at nothing in particular. _She really hustled me… huh…_ He looked at the carrot pen he had placed on the coffee table, his "prize" for assisting the rabbit.

He gave out a pitiful sigh before leaning forward to grab it. He rolled it around in his paw, feeling the plastic, finding the button. _This thing only has one button, how do you record with it?_ , he thought, rubbing his padded finger over the button.

Sliding the button upwards, the carrot played a sound as if it were rewinding, and let it go.

"—a minute sir, I think your 10 dollars worth of popsicles can—" the pen played, before Nick managed to stop it. He frowned as Judy's voice replayed in his mind, strange unwanted feelings in his chest. He chucked the pen aside to the far end of the couch.

"Hah, I make 200 bucks a _day_ … fluff," he recited quietly to himself. It had been the first time he had played the pen since receiving it five days ago. But he could remember clearly the conversation the two had, unbeknownst to Nick at the time that he was being recorded. "365 days a year… since I was twelve…"

Nick closed his eyes, he could feel them getting watery. _I've been doing this since I was a kit, and along comes this… this buck-toothed_ ** _bunny hick_** _…_ He laughed to himself, keeping his eyes closed, and the tears inside. He sat silent for a moment, reflecting on his time with the rabbit, the friendship built… and lost.

 _Nice try, sweetheart,_ he thought, opening his eyes. He leaned forward to his YakBook and opened it up, clicking on a tab he had open for Zootopia Airways. _I actually thought you… you had me going…!_ He clicked on the large "buy" button.

The webpage went blank, eventually coming back to read; "Airship fare confirmed for June 17th, destination: Nova Ferocia."

* * *

 _June 16th, 20X8_

 _Evening_

 _Savanna Central_

"Nick, man you gotta chill out," Finnick laughed, watching his friend pace around his apartment. "Flash said he took care of everything, we're ready to pull the biggest hustle of our _lives_. This ain't no time to be getting cold feet."

Nick stopped pacing, and smirked at his smaller buddy sitting on his couch. "Fin, I _never_ get cold feet. I'm just busy planning."

"You sure seem like you're losing your nerve right now," Finnick scoffed, skeptical, "We need to get some sleep, our flight leaves in the mornin'."

"Can't sleep, too excited," Nick sat down next to him and opened his YakBook, typing away.

"Dude, you really need to tell me what happened with that bunny," Finnick said after some time. "I don't care about all that bullcrap about not showing when somethin's buggin' ya. I can tell when my best friend is torn up about—"

"Fin," He interrupted snappingly, his paws raised in a tense position from the keyboard. "I… I— told you, I'm _busy_." He went back to typing.

"Yeah, fine whatever," Fin relented, "When you ready to talk, I'm here." He picked up Nick's remote and turned on the TV.

Finnick busied himself watching TV, trying his best to give his friend some space. He flipped through the channels, spending a few minutes on each. Eventually he switched to ZNN.

—comes just one week, after ZPD Officer Judy Hopps connected the violence with traditionally predatory mammals—

Finnick noticed as Nick froze at the mention of the rabbit officer's name. Nick's tail twitched, the rest of his body unmoving, his eyes closed as he bared his teeth. The TV showed footage of a Gazelle peace rally. Prey had shown up to protest, and there was a shot of Judy attempting to keep the peace as the mammals' arguments escalated. When Nick opened his eyes again, they were glued to the screen, watching the small mammal's helpless actions.

Nick snapped up the remote from Finnick suddenly. He shut off the TV and tossed the remote onto the couch.

Finnick looked up at him, concerned, "Um, OK. Anything you wanna —"

"Nope! But thank you!" Nick grinned at him, walking away to his room. "See you in the morning buddy." He shut the door, leaving Finnick in the now quiet front room.

Finnick shook his head. He knew Nick, he would eventually talk about what was bothering him. The question was when?

He saw that, in his haste, Nick had left his laptop open and logged in. He looked towards Nick's closed door.

 _This is for your own good, man,_ he justified mentally, _I need to know what's buggin' ya if I'm gonna help._

He stood up on the couch and hopped over to the coffee table. Hunched over the laptop, he saw some emails had been sent, and a text file was open. He scrolled through Nick's inbox: most messages were just emails confirming their flight to Nova Ferocia, emails between him and Flash regarding the details of the hustle. An email to Morgan Wilde, Nick's mother. Finnick decided against reading the email to his mother, and opened the text file.

 _Hey Fin, when you're done with my computer can you check the stock prices for SinistraNova and DewLabs? I'm thinking of getting into investing, especially when we have insider info ;)_

"Agh," Finnick scoffed, pushing the YakBook away, "Just when I think you gettin' careless…"

Finnick took out his phone, checking the text thread he had started with Judy. He texted her a few days ago to ask what happened between her and Nick. He had gotten the rabbit's number after Nick had called him using her phone during one of their night's out. All three messages in the thread were from him, Judy had yet to respond.

( Hey Bunny, you mind if I have a chat with you? )

( What happened with you and Nick? I'm worried about him, he's not himself lately )

( Hello? )

Finnick sighed, hopping back over to the couch and dropped his phone. He settled into the blanket that Nick had left for him and stared up at the darkening ceiling.

"What ever you did, bunny," Finnick muttered to himself. "You better _undo_ it quick, else we gonna have a problem."

 _June 17th, 20X8_

 _Morning_

 _Nova Ferocia, Northern Federation_

"Welcome to Nova Ferocia Inter-territorial Airdrome. To expedite your entry into the territory, please have all required documentation ready and proceed to the queue designated for your species size category." The intercom echoed throughout the bustling airport, before repeating its message in another language that Nick did not speak.

The airport was tall, an arched skylight stretched along the entirety of the main entry terminal. The sky was pure white, cloudy overcast, snow falling on the many window panes in the ceiling. Mammals of all types littered the terminal, however it was noticeable that most of the visiting mammals consisted of polar bears, caribou, and moose, those suited for tundra biomes.

Nick wore a fluffy black coat, as the tundra-based territory was known for its bitter cold, even while it was summer in Zootopia. Nova Ferocia was a city that was in constant winter. He wheeled around his rolling baggage as he looked for Finnick. Spotting him, he walked over to the shorter fox as he was digging in his equally fluffy coat for his paperwork.

"Got everything?" Nick asked, settling his luggage and putting his paws in his coat pockets.

"Mm-hmm," Finnick said, yawning a toothy yawn. "I need more sleep, man, some baby kept cryin' the whole flight. Or some full grown dude, couldn't tell."

"Let's get through customs and we can go to the hotel," Nick gestured for Finnick to follow, the smaller fox finishing accounting for the crumpled papers he had pulled out of his pocket.

Finnick walked ahead to catch up with Nick; the bag he carried was light, only containing a few changes of clothes, as well as his sneaking outfit. Something he had not used in a long time.

Nick lined up in the queue labeled for medium-sized mammals, Finnick in the one for smaller-sized.

Finnick watched his friend as the two proceeded through the lines. Nick's expression was his usual dreaded grin. Still though, something was off. He hoped he could at least keep it together for this job.

Nick had organized the biggest con they would pull to date, bordering on corporate espionage and fraud. They were going to take advantage of a complicated legal situation that arose between pharmaceutical giant SinistraNova and a class-action lawsuit filed by a large Zootopian law firm on behalf of the victims of improperly manufactured asthma medication.

The finer details were lost on Finnick, but he knew his part; he was disaster control, and Nick's inner turmoil— that was definitely an impending disaster.

* * *

Nick and Finnick sat in silence as their ZUber drove them through the city. The car drove slowly through the blizzard; while Nova Ferocia was a city in year-round winter weather, the streets of the city were not equipped with magnetic coils like Tundra Town was.

While Finnick was exhausted, he couldn't sleep, still frustrated by the lack of communication between them. Nick simply sat, watching the blizzard. Taking in the nostalgia he had for the city he had only visited occasionally over his lifetime.

Nova Ferocia was a somewhat more specialized city, not many species were able to visit or live here, and its population consisted almost exclusively of medium and larger mammals. The design of the city reflected that. While most buildings were grey, soulless concrete, more colorful buildings were interspersed, the favorite of which was red. The city was much more spread out than Zootopia, and had no skyscrapers; the tallest buildings only reached about 30-40 floors.

The airport they were driving away from overlooked Fundingo Bay, which was frozen for most of the year. Nick had vague memories of his mother and father taking him there when he was very young, to learn how to ice skate.

Finnick felt his phone vibrate, he reached around to find the pockets on his thick coat and pulled it out. Judy had finally responded to him.

( Can I talk to Nick? )

Finnick scoffed, and Nick looked over to him. Finnick ignored him and typed back a response: ( Why don't you just call him then? )

He waited a moment for a response, the bubble that signified her typing a message popped in and out of existence.

( I don't have his number, I only have yours. )

( Must be a reason he didn't give it to you then. ) He humphed, thinking about what to say next. He wanted answers. She had destroyed his friend and he was going to do what it took to fix him. ( You listen to me, bunny. You tell me what the hell you did to him )…( Then MAYBE, I'll think about passing along a message for you. )

His phone started ringing, Judy was calling him. He promptly rejected the call. Nick looked over to him again. "The misses?" He teased, pushing the back of his paw against Finnick's shoulder.

"Uh, nah, just some… friend I haven't talked to in a while," he half-lied.

( I'm in a car with Nick, can't talk, text for now. ) He explained, ( Better type fast. )

( Please! Tell him I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! ) She was begging.

( Why should I? ) He tapped harshly at the device, ( You took your sweet time responding to me, now all of a sudden you wanna get all boo-hoo on me? )…( Tell me what the hell you so sorry about )

( Can you just tell me where you are? I'll come over now )

( No can do, bunny ) he dismissed candidly, ( We're out of town, visiting up North )

There was a pause in her responses, she was possibly wondering why Nick had skipped town, probably blaming herself. A thought Finnick was fine with.

The familiar bubble finally reappeared, indicating she was writing a response.

( Then, can I just call you? I'll explain everything )

Finnick let a moment settle in, she was going to have to try harder than that.

( Please ), she continued, ( I just want him to know I messed up, that I didn't mean what I said )

He waited to see if she would continue, he was relishing her begging, after what she did to Nick. Maybe with his silence, she would finally explain what was going on.

( Please, I'm such a moron. )

Finnick put the phone down, not wanting to look anymore. Her begging was fringing on pathetic, but it wasn't totally lost on him. The phone vibrated once more, Finnick lifted the device to check what she had sent.

( I miss him )

The words rang in Finnick's head, her desperation was escalating. He raised an eyebrow, glancing over to Nick, who was still staring out the window, the sky becoming brighter as the sun rose behind the thick layer of storm clouds.

 _How did some random idiot bunny shake up the almighty Nick Wilde?_ he chuckled quietly, shaking his head. The way Nick was acting, how Judy was trying to apologize… Even though he had just barely started to get some answers about what happened, Finnick felt this story was starting to sound all too familiar. _Nick, you a_ ** _damn_** _fool, you know that?_

Finnick tapped a response, deciding she had suffered enough, ( Fine, we're on our way to a hotel, I'll call you when I get some privacy. This better be good. )

* * *

The two foxes collected their luggage from the ZUber car and stood in front of an older looking hotel. It was still early in the morning, but the blizzard was making things chilly. The harsh cold nipped at their noses.

"Any reason we stayin' at the same hotel we stayed at last time we were here?" Finnick asked, skeptical, "S'not like we broke."

Nick proceeded into the foyer of the hotel without a response.

They entered the moody lobby, the only other mammal they could see was the female caribou receptionist that watched them enter. It was warm inside, a fire crackled in a room meant for lounging off to the side of the lobby. The fancy carpeted floor looked nice, but aged. Nick remarked mentally at how little the place had changed since the last time he was here. The hotel had aged noticeably, but it wasn't in disrepair, possibly maintained to be in this state.

"Hey darlin'," he spoke sweetly to the caribou, "Two rooms, should be under the name Nicholas Wilde."

"Of course, let me just get you both checked iii-in," She trailed off as she tapped on the touchpad for her computer. "Your rooms are 036 and 037," She smiled as she reached down to hand the two their keycards. "Have a nice stay you two, I hope you enjoy the city of Ferocia."

Nick nodded returning her smile. "I'm sure we will."

* * *

Nick dropped his luggage near the entry way. He struggled out of his thick winter coat, unbuttoning, then unzipping, finally letting it fall lazily on the floor in a pile.

Finnick had gone off in a hurry to his own room, a smaller room meant for mammals his size, of which there weren't many in this hotel. He was oddly quiet, normally he would pester Nick about his mood, begging him to open up. It was nice to finally have Finnick back off, though he did feel guilty for keeping him out.

The room was dark, the only light filtering in from the heavy blizzard outside through a half-draped window. The dark wood-paneled walls sapped most of the ambient light.

It looked precisely like he remembered. A hotel stuck in a lost time, back when wood panelling wasn't tacky. The hotel was purposefully nostalgic, or at least Nick had assumed it was. Effort was seemingly put into making everything look like it was from the 80's. However, the high end flat-screen TV that was mounted on the wall looked grossly anachronistic.

The walls that weren't paneled in wood were plastered in faded wallpaper, showing sketches of birds and different breeds of flowers. This level of tacky would make any other mammal physically ill. But Nick felt at home here; his childhood home, his mother's home, felt similarly.

He quietly paced around the room, tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. He stood in front of the foot of the bed; this room was meant for a larger mammal, so the bed was large enough to accommodate several mammals of his size. He preferred this when he travelled. He felt safe in a larger bed, comfortable.

He fell face first into the bed, turning his head enough so his muzzle wouldn't be smothered underneath him.

He rubbed his paws around the nicely made bed. The blanket was a soft material, a tacky dated pattern lined the sheets, in line with everything else in the room. Including the veiled canopy of the bed.

He allowed himself to swim in his memories, to be pulled into the memories of lost love, Pythia, who spent time with him in this hotel years ago. The words of Mr. Big echoed, "Love does strange things to us, my child."

* * *

 _Three years earlier_

 _August 13th, 20X5_

 _Evening_

 _Nova Ferocia, Northern Federation_

"Nick, have you ever thought of… getting out of this business?" The female Arctic Fox asked, rubbing Nick's chin. "Like, leaving it all behind, starting a more… normal life?"

"Huh, of course I haven't, then I'd have to leave you behind," Nick chuckled, his arm behind his head. The two foxes were cuddled in the hotel room's large bed. The room was dark and moody, their clothes littered the floor, the scent of love filled the air. As snow fell from the darkening sky outside, a fire crackled subtly inside, accenting the conversation the lovers shared.

"I'm serious!" She thudded him lightly on the chest with an open paw, "Red, let's leave this behind, start a new life, you can be… the secret agent you've always wanted to be." She smirked, rubbing his chest with her white paw, feeling Nick's fur between her clawed fingers.

"Mmm, think the ship's sailed on that one, sweetheart," Nick grinned playfully, "'sides, I'm happy with the way things are, I'm rich, powerful, and most of all, I'm good at what I do."

The white fox looked at him, disappointed. "Nick, I don't think you're happy… I think you want to—"

Nick put a finger up to her muzzle, "Shhhh, s'long as I'm here with you, I'm happy, I couldn't ask for more, snowflake. We're good together, we're _unstoppable_. Why would I want that to change?"

She brought her paw up to grab his, her face held an odd expression, but Nick couldn't tell what it was. Was it… Longing? Desire? …Desperation? Nick couldn't be sure. He looked back at her, confused.

"Listen to me," she pleaded, Nick was puzzled, why would she want to leave the life she had worked so long to build? "We can stay here, in Ferocia, or go anywhere. I don't care! Let's just forget about all this. I want to be with you, just give up the shady fox life, I'll give up mine too… I…"

Nick stared at her. She was serious, she wanted to give up her career in organized crime, and she wanted him to do the same. And to what? Run away? Start again? If Nick couldn't be anything he wanted in Zootopia, what were the chances in Nova Ferocia? Questions swam in his mind. The possibilities, the why.

"C'mon, puffball, you're scaring me," he gulped. It was true, he wasn't happy with his life, his choices. But this fox girl made it all different, he was happy when he was with her, even if he had to work in shady places, deal with dangerous mammals. But this girl made every moment special.

"I'm serious, red," she cooed, rubbing his cheek against hers. "You can be better than this, _I_ can be better. Let's show the world that foxes can be anything too. Come with me and… and I'll tell you everything. All of my secrets… and we can really be together."

Nick returned the affection, her love for him warming his entire body. He rubbed the back of her head with a paw, and rubbed his cheek into hers, taking in the scent of the velvety white fur of her ear before speaking softly into it.

"But we are together," Nick assured, not entirely sure what she meant by that, "and there's no secret you can tell me that'll change that."

She pushed him away to his dismay, he saw water in her eyes, before she turned her face away from him. She got out from under the blankets showing her bare white fur, and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Hey, hey," Nick said, concerned "What's wrong? I…" Nick knew that he was avoiding answering her, to agree to give up this life and start again. "I can't just walk away from this. I have too many commitments, too many mammals expecting me to get them information. My guys rely on me. And— OK, I'm not happy, I'll give you that. But I'm _good_ at this, this… this is the _only_ thing I'm good at." He scooted towards her, putting his paws on her shoulders.

"I know…" she sniffed. "Nick, I just… I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey, you white foxes, so emotional," he wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head against hers. "What do you have to be sorry about?"

"Let me go, Nick," she said suddenly, her voice cracking.

"What?" Nick said, frozen in place, "What did I—"

"Please, just let me go, get off me," she pleaded.

Nick complied, sitting back, confused. He felt like a little kit, being scolded. She was pushing him away, and it hurt. What did he do? What did he do wrong?

"Pythia, did I do something wrong?" He asked, his voice almost breaking.

There was a moment of silence, as Pythia looked around the room, avoiding looking at Nick. Finally, she turned her face towards him.

"No, no," she finally answered, "You didn't do anything wrong, darling."

Nick noticed something odd about the way she was talking, she was strangely more… indifferent.

"Are you sure? I mean—"

"Nick, we should get some sleep, we've got that fur rug deal to oversee early morning," she interrupted dismissively. "Don't want to keep Tony waiting back home."

She laid back down on the bed, bringing herself back under the blanket. But she faced away from Nick, didn't slide herself next to him like she normally did.

Nick laid down underneath the blanket as well, there was a feeling he couldn't shake, something had changed with his lover, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. He was afraid to ask, so he pushed the feeling aside.

"There's uh… no problem?" He pursued, trying to assuage his uneasy feeling.

"Nope, let's just turn in for the night, OK?"

Nick settled in under the blanket, and waited for Pythia to scoot closer like she usually did. She didn't, so he scooted to her, wrapping his arm around her.

She shuddered at his touch. Strange, yet she didn't reject his embrace, she laid there, still. And stiff. Nick shrugged it off, and did his best to fall asleep. _It's probably just the stress of the deal meeting tomorrow_ , he thought attempting to comfort himself, but he knew it was a lie.

* * *

 _Present day_

 _June 17th, 20X8_

Nick shook his head, this wasn't the same room that he and Pythia stayed in. It didn't have to be, the rooms were similar, similar enough to bring back memories of the days they spent together. He remembered the room though, almost every detail. If there was one thing Nick was known for, it was his ability to retain details, information.

Slowly pushing himself up from the bed, he walked over to a tray on the lunch table which was almost as tall as he was, accompanied by two nostalgic chairs. He hopped up onto one of the chairs and took a look at what was on the table.

The tray contained a small collection of cheap alcohol. He reached for the small container of brandy. After examining to ornate glass bottle, he popped the lid, and filled one of the glasses. He set down the bottle back onto the chrome tray, clacking. Picking up the freshly poured glass, he took in the aroma. _Awful,_ he thought.

A knock came from the door way, at which Nick allowed a grin. _About time_ , he mused, _Thought you forgot about me_.

He put the glass down on the table and walked over to the door. Sighing, he opened it to reveal his shorter friend, no longer wearing his thick coat, now wearing his usual polo shirt and jeans.

"Can't sleep, buddy?" He teased, "Need a bedtime story from daddy?"

Finnick walked past Nick into the room. "If I was taller, I'd punch you right in the face."

"Yeah, you always say that," Nick closed the door.

"One o' these days I guess you'll find out if I meant it or not," He threatened, almost seriously, to which Nick let out a short laugh.

Finnick climbed up to one of the chairs that surrounded the tall table, then sat back and noticed the glass of alcohol Nick had poured. Nick sat on the edge of the bed and started loosening his tie.

"So, what's up?" Nick inquired, after noticing Finnick wasn't talking.

There was a silence, Finnick trying to decide where to start. "I had a chat with your little bunny friend. Judy— carrots or whatever the hell you call her."

Nick froze. His tie was almost off his head, the knot still done. He recovered quickly enough and flung the tie on the floor. "Oh? How's she been?" He asked cooly. He stood up and walked to his suitcase and sat on his haunches next to it.

"She wants to talk to you," Finnick said simply, "Says she, uh… she misses you."

Nick continued with his luggage, as if he didn't hear. He was taking out some clothes, arranging them on the floor. One piece of clothing, the blazer for a suit, he laid out carefully on the floor, as to not wrinkle it. Although it was already wrinkled from being in the luggage.

"Yeah?" He said finally, sighing. "I bet she told you everything then."

"Pretty much," he admitted, "though I only have her side of the story, since _some_ fool won't give me his."

Nick continued sorting his clothes. He had managed to store a shocking amount of clothing in the suitcase, most of them all the same exact green shirt.

"You need to talk to her, man," Finnick pressed. "At least for closure."

Nick stopped folding his clothes. " _Do_ I now!?" he hissed. The fur on the scruff of his neck was standing on end. "I suppose I should just fly home right now and we can all hold hands and do a little dance! I've always liked musicals!"

"Nick, come on man," Finnick rolled his eyes. Nick rarely acted like this, but when he did, it was like talking to a wall. A stupid, smug, thickheaded wall.

"No," Nick snapped, continuing to do an inventory on his clothes, although more furiously than before. "This has _nothing_ to do with you, absolutely nothing. It's none of your business!"

"Oh, _yeah_? Look at you, man! You see what's happening? You _blind_?! You acting like some damn fool that don't know how to deal with his own feelings."

Nick continued to rummage through the luggage, huffing. He wasn't even sorting anything anymore. Just uselessly stirring around contents.

"Seriously, man, that bunny, she…" Finnick paused, unsure how to get through to Nick, he was getting light-headed. The lack of sleep didn't help him prepare for this. "Didn't you tell me you told that bunny she should give up bein' a cop the first day you two met? Now that she's the one sayin' it, does that somehow make it any different?"

Still no response from Nick. Finnick was getting frustrated. He continued, "Why you gettin' all bent out of shape? We all heard what she said, she was on the damn news! Yeah, it was all air-headed conjecture. And now you actin' like your world is over."

Nick was getting upset, but he kept his nose in the suitcase, trying to keep his face away from Finnick. There were no answers in the suitcase. No responses.

Something clicked in Finnick's head, "You remember the last time that bunny pissed you off? Who the hell knows how she pissed you off the day she met you, but whatever. You go and give Flash a call, a dude you ain't worked with for a year at least, then you organize some high profile con, something _we_ ain't done in a long time."

"Finnick…" Nick said in a warning tone.

"Then! This press conference gets you all huffed up again, now we here in Nova Ferocia, scamming some giant medical company. I think this bunny—"

Nick had had enough, he stood up and marched over to where Finnick was seated. "Finny!" He shouted, "What makes you think you know _anything_?! Huh?! You think I talk to you, tell you all my problems and suddenly you're just able to help me sort everything out?!" His voice was rising, his arms waving frantically in the air as he shouted. He pointed a clawed finger sternly at Finnick, inches away from his nose. Nick drew his face closer. "What about you? You think you have all the answers? _You_ can't even sort out your own crap, Clarissa _still_ doesn't want you. And it's all because _you_ messed up, _you're_ messed up and now you can't sort out _anything!_ Who are _you_ to tell me how to handle _my life?!_ I—! I…"

Nick realized what he was doing. Finnick just sat there, an angered yet hurt look on his face.

"Fin… Finny, I didn't mean that," The anger drained out of Nick's face, quickly filling with regret. He had said something he would never be able to take back. Nick backed away, in horror, having lost control of himself, and now his best friend was caught in the collateral.

Finnick simply closed eyes and stood up on top of the chair.

"Finnick, I'm so sorry, I didn't…" Nick begged.

The smaller fox didn't respond, but reached out to the glass of brandy. "You weren't gonna drink this anyway." He said, before gulping down the strong drink.

Finnick hopped down from the chair and walked towards the door.

"Fin, come on, you know I didn't mean that… Can you stop, please?" Nick pleaded, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

Finnick chuffed at how similar Nick and Judy both sounded, both begging to be heard after saying something they wanted more than anything to take back. He opened the door, but turned to his friend.

"Didn't mean that, huh? You think she meant what _she_ said?" He shook his head, looking away. "We all just a bunch of fools."

With that, he had left Nick to the quiet gloom. Nick stared at the door, then around the room, at the table, his briefcase, himself.

Tears threatened to appear again, as the loneliness settled in. He let out a quiet pitiful laugh, before whispering, "Yeah, I guess we are."


	9. Cope

_June 18th, 20X8_

 _Early morning_

 _Savanna Central_

"I don't know what to do," Judy admitted, whispering. She sat at the edge of her bed in a fresh police outfit. The sun had yet to rise, but it would soon; the very early morning light illuminated the atmosphere outside her window. She sat quietly, in the barely lit room.

All her life, Judy had a plan. When she was a kid, she had her plan —she would grow up and make the world a better place— and she followed that plan one step at a time. From convincing her parents to training everyday for the physical challenge she would no doubt face in the police academy. Despite every single obstacle, minuscule and monumental, she had achieved her dream. She made it, her badge was well-earned and she settled into her place at her precinct.

But for the first time in her life, she felt absolutely helpless. She had no plan, she didn't even know what she was doing. All she knew was that she had hurt Nick; he still hadn't spoken to her, and she wasn't sure how to fix it.

She looked at her phone, checking the texts from Finnick after he called her and gave her the chance to explain what had happened. She had hoped that Finnick would somehow make Nick change his mind about talking to her. The same messages from last night displayed, messages she received that made her just want to go to bed and soak her pillow and plushes with tears and snot.

( Didn't go so well, he's not ready to talk to you yet. ), the last message read. One she could not find the will to respond to.

She pocketed her phone and rubbed her face with her paws, grumbling. She had to go to work. She was usually so full of energy in the morning, ready to get out and do her duty. Now, she just wanted to lay down. What she would do while laying down didn't matter. Maybe cry, maybe listen to herself breathe, maybe just fall asleep. She tried working out in her apartment, push-ups, sit-ups, but the exercise just made her more restless.

"Judy," she prepared to pep-talk herself. "Stop sulking, stand up, and be a police officer." She _was_ a police officer, and reminding herself of that brought the smallest joy to her mind, but that faded as quickly as it came.

She got up from her bed and slowly walked to her piles of plushes splayed out around the head of her bed. Her parents had sent her a package a few days ago. During one of their calls to her, they picked up that she was feeling depressed, and had misattributed it to being lonely in the city and so far from her family. It was true, Judy was very lonely; growing up with a bunch of siblings, then moving into a single room apartment all by herself had started to take an effect on her. But she was lonely for another reason too, a reason she didn't want to talk about with her parents. Whether it was because she didn't know what to say, or the shame of it… she wasn't sure.

The rabbit plushes were signed by some her brothers and sisters. They had helped her feel better, and she was grateful. She picked up a small fox plushie, which she had stuck a familiar wrinkled Jr. Police sticker onto. She had purchased this plushie on her way home a few nights ago, though it didn't look much like Nick. But it was a fox, and it was the best she could find at the store she had visited. She smiled forlornly at the small fox.

Judy had hoped that Nick would come talk to her after he had calmed down, maybe give her the chance to make it up to him. She didn't know where he lived, and she didn't have his phone number. But he knew where she lived, worked. She had an address she found for him when he filed his taxes. Multiple addresses, in fact, she wasn't sure where to start. She hoped he would be the first to reach out, just to say something, anything.

But he didn't, and the more days went by, the more guilt-ridden she grew. But she held onto that hope. He wouldn't want her out of his life _forever_ just because she said something dumb... right? The thought of that made Judy sick to her stomach. Maybe he would… Who was she to him anyway? They only knew one another for a few short days, and even through all that had happened… who's to say any of that mattered to him at all?

Each day she became more worried that maybe he wasn't coming. She grew restless waiting and started looking around the city for any trace of him. Jumbeaux's cafe, the snowy lot where he formed the pawpsicles, the street corner where he hawked them… She even dropped by the Mystic Springs Oasis and asked Yax if he'd seen him. But nothing. He was no where.

Finally she reached out to Finnick in desperation. Why she hadn't tried to talk to him sooner, she wasn't sure. Maybe she was afraid that he would deny her. She was frustrated about just how many questions she couldn't answer, especially with her own mess of emotions. She was hopelessly inexperienced dealing with this, she had never had a friend like Nick before. Over their short time together, her trust in him grew. She admired his confidence, his quick thinking, his… _smile_. The one he showed her when she gave him her carrot pen, not the one he showed everyone else. It was genuine, it was sweet… it was…

She felt tears threaten to appear again. "Put it _down_ , Judy." She tightened her grip on the plushie softly and closed her eyes, grimacing. She set the fox down and shook her head.

Judy normally didn't talk to herself, only when she was stressed, or sad.

She walked over to the mirror to check her uniform. Whereas she used to beam at the mirror, she now just stood there, her face expressionless, and her ears flat against the back of her head. She remarked at how pitiful she looked.

"Stop it," she whispered resolutely, balling her paws into fists. "Get out there, and be a damn good cop. Don't give up…"

She patted her tactical belt to make sure she had everything, feeling the spot that used to carry the fox repellant. She had thrown it away right after the press conference. She was angry with herself.

 _Why_ ** _did_** _I keep carrying it around?_ Judy thought.

 _Did I just forget to take it off?_ That was a lie.

 _Maybe I thought it would've been useful against_ ** _another_** _fox? Did I think Nick was going to try to run away?_ More lies.

 _Was I…_ , she winced, _Was I really_ ** _scared_** _of Nick?_ Not a lie, but it was yet another question she could not answer.

Her phone buzzed, a reminder that it was thirty minutes before her shift.

"Agh," she groaned, still longing to return to bed. She would need to run to make it to the subway on time. She wasn't about to let herself be late. "Don't let what you earned go to waste… what _we_ earned…"

She quickly grabbed her keys and left her apartment. All she could do was stay strong, and wait for Nick to come back to Zootopia.

* * *

 _June 18th, 20X8_

 _Morning_

 _Nova Ferocia, Northern Federation_

The duo were once again in the back of a ZUber car. The wolverine driver drove quietly, heading for SinistraNova's main campus. The weather outside was clear, calm, and bright, but still very chilly.

Nick reviewed an email from Flash to prepare for the job ahead.

 _Nick,_

 _Remember that the client needs the evidence without raising any suspicion. The information you obtain will be useless if the court is able to rule it exclusionary because it was obtained illegally._

 _The first step is to find which Allergibbon facility was used to produce Caracort between February 20X4 and November 20X6. The facilities are now owned by SinistraNova, but before the acquisition, there were 3 facilities in Ferocia, one of those factories is our bargaining chip._

 _Second, we'll need information regarding the impure batch of Caracort. Attached is a list of LOT numbers we will need production and sign-off information for. You'll need to confirm that the facility that produced—_

Nick skipped a few paragraphs. Shaking his head at how much Flash managed to type. Flash was a bureaucrat at heart.

 _Once Finnick is able to radio this information to you, you'll meet with the SinistraNova Chief Executive of Business and Foreign Legal Affairs—_

Nick groaned.

"Hey, Fin," he gave a weak grin to his buddy. "Remind me never to get into business school."

Finnick didn't respond, but furrowed his brow and looked away.

Nick recalled his outburst during the previous night; a wave of shame washed over him as his grin faded away. He returned to the email on his phone.

 _—_ _Lister Hammond. I trust you'll know what you need to say to him. He's under the impression that he'll be meeting with a Zootopian litigation consultant to discuss the pending federal injunction—_

Nick skimmed past the legal mumbo-jumbo, rolling his eyes in boredom. He noted mentally that Flash could've sent this email much sooner if he had just skipped the junk.

 _Attached is your cover for getting into the building, but you'll still only have access to certain areas. We managed to delay the real legal consultant; his flight is arriving in about four to five hours (give or take, I'm not sure how long it will take to write the rest of this email). The clock is ticking for this job, Nick._

 _I got the money you sent and we've set up a shell company with it like you asked. I know you said this was for a plan B, but I advise against whatever you have in mind! Stick to the plan and everything will work out! We do_ ** _not_** _have the resources to deal with whatever trouble you get into by trying to hustle property/patents, or whatever you intend, from them. If things don't go as planned, do_ ** _not_** _resort to blackmail. Just back off for now and we'll come up with a new plan._

 _Good luck, and welcome back, Red Leader! :)_

 _Flash._

Nick then recalled that Flash used an assistive device to help him type faster, some kind of mechanical peripheral that minimized travel time between key strokes for precise sloth claws. It was extremely sensitive, but for an experienced sloth it could double or even triple his typing output. Even so, Flash would still take a long time to respond to any new request for information, so this is what they had to work with.

Nick took a look at the attachments in the email, refreshing himself of every detail he could before they started. The picture of Lister Hammond was of a middle-aged hog. _Figures the law executive would be a pig…_ he chuckled.

Finnick prepared himself for his own task, clipping a small radio device to the top of his large ear, flicking at it to test if Nick could hear him. Nick gave him a quick thumbs up. Nick's radio was clipped to the ridge of his upper ear; there was a wireless button on the pad of his finger to trigger the radio to transmit.

Finnick wore his thick coat from yesterday, but underneath it today was his sneaking suit. A dark suit that hugged close to his body but still gave room for his weapon: a short-range customized taser, a snug pocket for his phone, and a pouch for a few carefully chosen tools.

An empty duffel bag sat between them. Nick sat in his fancy suit, his obscenely loud green shirt peaking through, ready to put the charm on anyone he would meet during this job.

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence, both giving each other a "strictly business" aura. Nick was pained for what he had said to Finnick, but the stress of the upcoming hustle made him push aside the desire to amend his friendship for the time being.

Nick looked out the window as the car drove through the campus, tall buildings connected via vernacular walkways. Nick had already gone over the map and knew which two buildings held their targets: one, information; the other, the mammal that would be hustled with said information. Their goal wasn't to blackmail, but to pose as a legal consultant, claiming to know a loophole that would bring an advantage to SinistraNova in the pending lawsuit.

They were, of course, under the guise of an actual consultant, who would arrive later in the day, so they had to work quickly.

Nick felt himself get shaky, his breath became shallower.

"You getting second thoughts?" Finnick asked, noticing Nick's change.

"Ah, uh— no, I'm fine," he reassured. "Just a little nervous, we haven't done something this big in a long time."

Finnick looked his friend over skeptically; in truth, Finnick was nervous as well. But he found this type of work exhilarating, it was exciting for him to finally be able to do this again.

"Mm, I hear you," Finnick said, unbuckling his seat belt as the car slowed down.

"Alrighty guys!" The wolverine looked to the backseat. "You both have—" The wolverine noticed that only Nick was in the back seat now. "Weren't there, uh…" He looked confused, pointing between Nick and the empty seat.

Nick picked up the now full duffel back, slinging it over his shoulder, and opened his door.

"Thanks for the lift, buddy!" Nick said, grinning amusedly at the wolverine's befuddled expression and hopped out of the car. "I'll be sure to leave you a nice tip on the app!" He saluted to the wolverine.

"Uh— ye-yeah, have a good one!" The wolverine said, shaking his head as Nick shut the door to the car.

The car pulled away, leaving Nick standing on the curb wearing his fancy suit, carrying a lumpy duffel bag. Before him was a snowy courtyard, with pathways leading to the greater buildings of the campus, which were fairly spread out. Their first target was the eastern research building, so after adjusting the bag on his shoulder, with his nerves growing shakier, Nick headed off towards their destination.

* * *

Nick set down the duffel bag in front of an air vent. They had gotten into the building using a badge that was coded to act like a janitor's. They would be able to get into most areas without causing any suspicions. Nick stood in front of the bag, and after ensuring no one was around, he tapped it with his foot.

Finnick opened the bag from the inside and crawled out. He deftly popped open the vent and crawled in, easily fitting inside.

Nick popped the vent back onto the wall and picked up the empty duffel. He clicked the wireless button on his finger, "Proceeding to next checkpoint, meet you there, big guy."

"Copy," crackled the radio clipped to his ear.

Nick proceeded through the building, acting like he had somewhere to be, but not in a particular hurry. Passersby in the building didn't give him a second look, the fox had practiced this all his life; as long as you acted like you belonged somewhere, no one would question you.

And Nick definitely dressed the part. Mammals were too worried to look at him, thinking he was there to monitor them or possibly take someone aside to inform them their services were no longer needed.

* * *

Finnick popped through another vent in the ceiling, carefully finding a spot to land. A couch would've been nice, unfortunately it seemed the floor was the only option in reach. He dropped himself from the ceiling, and entered into a roll. His small size and light frame kept the fall from being too much of an issue.

A sear of pain surged through his lower back as he straightened himself up.

"Gah!" He tried to stifle his grunt of pain. "Knew I should've stretched before this, gettin' too old for this crap." He allowed a few grumbles to ease the pain. In truth, he was not about to let age interfere; he was in his element, this is what Finnick loved doing. So instead he attributed the pain from letting himself get out of shape.

The lights in the room were off, and the blinds drawn, but rays of light shown in through the bright snowy outdoors. Finnick saw pictures of a family on the wall, a family of polar bears. The office belonged to one of the bears in the picture. Flash was able to dig up that the bear had gone out on medical leave, so her office was empty.

Finnick stood in front of the desk, it was massive in scope compared to him. He leapt up to the handles for one of the drawers, then leapt to the chair, then finally to the desktop. A computer monitor that was several times taller than he was sat in front of him.

"OK, let's get this started," he said excitedly, pulling out his phone and bringing up the attachment from Flash that contained a list of login information.

* * *

Nick paced around, waiting for word from Finnick. He couldn't simply sit in one place, he had to keep moving. Someone in a suit just sitting around in the hallways or the common area would draw suspicion from the security cameras or other passersby. He wandered around near the exit vent that Finnick would be expected to emerge from when finished.

He passed by some vending machines, a few mammals avoiding eye contact as they went about their business. Hopefully, he wouldn't pass by the same mammals more than once, so they wouldn't notice he wasn't actually going anywhere.

"Red, you hear me?" The radio projected into his ear.

"Ey," Nick said quietly, clicking the button on his finger. He looked around to make sure no one was around to watch him talk to 'himself'. "You find what we need, big guy?"

"Yeah, I found the documents for the manufacturing plants, but I don't think this broad has access to the shipment or quality control stuff that we need."

"OK, we'll try one of the others," He responded.

"Nah, nah, I think I can just log in as a different user on the same computer. One that does have access."

A rhino came around the corner, nicely dressed, not like the other researchers or PHD-looking mammals that were more common.

Nick clicked the button on his finger twice, causing a beep to go to Finnick, signifying that he couldn't speak for the time being. He acted casual, pretending to belong and look at his phone, giving an air of waiting for some meeting to start or an important call to come through.

The rhino walked past, Nick looked up at him and give a quick grin and nod. The rhino stopped in his tracks, and stared.

Nick was usually able to keep his facial expressions under control, unless he panicked.

"Mornin'," Nick said as calmly as he could.

The rhino didn't budge, eyeing the fox he didn't recognize. Nick felt his face begin to waver, so he looked away, back to his phone. He began to breathe shallow breaths.

 _Say something!_ Nick screamed internally, _What's wrong with me? I need to say something!_ He began to feel sick, light-headed.

The rhino pivoted to get a closer look, and eyed the fox suspiciously.

 _If I don't say something now, this whole plan is shot_ , he begged himself to speak to the rhino. _This isn't like me, I always know what to say! Just breathe, breathe_. He calmed himself down, forcing himself to take in normal breaths.

Nick looked up to the rhino. "Can I help you with something?" He said sternly, "If you don't mind, I'm waiting for Dr. Woolwhas, we'll be discussing his… somewhat _drop_ in attendance the last few months. HR might need to be making a cut in our workforce, unfortunately. Tough times— you understand." He pocketed his phone, and looked up in annoyance at the rhino, raising a threatening eyebrow.

"Oh, uh," the rhino stammered in a deep voice. "Sorry, I uh— you just looked like… S-sorry—" The rhino hurried along his way, his generous proportions causing the ground to thud with each quickened step.

Nick allowed himself a sly grin, _Still got it_ he thought confidently. But inside, something wasn't right. Nick did his best to ignore the feeling, and clicked his fingers.

"Sorry, big guy, had an unwelcome guest," Nick said, beginning to walk towards their checkpoint.

"Nick, er— Red, I found what I can in here, but we gonna need to find one of the other computers," Finnick reported in, his tinny voice echoing into Nick's ear.

"OK, there are other computers in this building we can try—"

"Nah, man, we gonna need one of the C-Lab computers Flash mentioned, the shared drive we need ain't on the main network," Finnick explained, his voice echoey on the other end. He must've made his way into the ducts already.

"What do you mean?" Nick questioned as he quickened his pace. "There's a separate network for the C-Labs?"

"Fool, just come get me. I'll explain when I see you, makin' too much noise in this damn vent…" His voice lowered to an incoherent grumble before the radio cut out.

Normally, Nick liked it when things got complicated, it meant he could push himself to see just how much of a dire situation he could adapt to and succeed. But this time, he felt… _off_ , and he couldn't quite tell what was wrong. He wanted this job to be done with quickly, and he cursed that things took an unexpected turn. They would have to sneak into one of the protected clinical testing labs. This hustle was quickly becoming dangerous.

* * *

 _Savanna Central_

Judy parked her police cruiser in the parking garage of Precinct One. While she was working, she was able to take her mind off of Nick for the most part. Her thoughts only drifted back to him during quiet moments, like now. Alone in her cruiser, feeling the steering wheel beneath her fingers, looking at the keys that dangled from the ignition.

It was difficult to drive anywhere in the city without seeing some form of protesting. Whether it was a group of prey protesting for some unfair action be taken against predators, predators protesting the opposite, or a group of both, simply rallying for the protesting to end… Judy felt increasingly guilty for causing this rift to form in the city she now called her home.

Nearly every officer in the precinct, including Bogo, would tell her that she was not responsible for any of it. That she did her job, and went above the call of duty proving she was the right rabbit to become a police officer. And maybe they were right, but it didn't stop this dark feeling that hung over Judy. Feelings of regret and guilt, like she had never felt before in her life. Her lifelong dream was to make the world a better place, and she felt like she had done the exact opposite.

Sighing, Judy took the keys out and hopped down from of the cruiser. She hadn't eaten at all today; the last meal she had had was during the previous night in which she had only eaten a small bowl of salad. She wasn't in the mood to eat, but her stomach was growling and she knew she would need to eventually.

 _Stay strong, Judy_ , she coached herself. _Keep your chin up and do your duty…_

She made her way to the reception desk where she saw Ben chatting with Officer Fangmeyer. Even though Fangmeyer had the day off, he would still come into the precinct to use the gym.

"Hey, guys," she spoke up. Both large cats paused to look down at the bunny, who thinly yet earnestly tried to disguise her depression.

"Hey there, Hopps," Fangmeyer greeted. "We were actually just chatting about you." He leaned on the front desk, a towel dropped over his muscular upper torso. It was always odd seeing any officer out of uniform. He wore a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Oh, Judy," Ben said sympathetically, seeing right through Judy's guise. "I promise we weren't gossiping about you again, some of the other officers here have been a little worried about you."

Judy needed that, Ben seemed to always know how anyone felt, regardless of what they showed on the outside. With that, he was always good at trying to comfort any mammal that looked in need of a friend. But she was a little embarrassed to have Fangmeyer there. She admittedly hadn't spoken with him much.

"I'm… Thanks, Clawhauser," Judy relented. "I haven't been feeling myself lately…"

"I'll say," Clawhauser said in a sad tone, "Oh, honey, we really need to get your mind off of things."

"Yeah," Fangmeyer agreed, giving her a warm smile. "Me, Ben and Grizzoli go to the movies now and then, it's not much but it'd be nice to hang out, right?"

"Hmm," she returned the smile. It was nice to be around other mammals where she could feel her nagging thoughts of Nick subside. "That sounds nice, you can count me in."

"Good!" Fangmeyer enthused. "It'll be nice to get to know you, me and Grizzoli haven't really talked with you much."

Judy nodded, her ears perking up. Clawhauser smiled, seeing the two officers get along.

"Welp," Fangmeyer leaned up from the front desk and checked his phone. "I'm headin' home guys, you take it easy, Hopps. I mean it." He waved as he started walking out and Judy and Ben said their goodbyes.

"You wanna talk about it, Judy?" Ben offered. There wasn't much foot traffic in the precinct this time of day, so it was a good time for a chat.

"Mmm, there's not much else to talk about," Judy said, her ears lowering again.

"How's the hunt for Nick, then? Did you try the address we had on file?"

"Yeah, I— uh…" Judy recalled her sorrow-fueled conversation with Finnick. "He, um… he's in Nova Ferocia."

"Ferocia? You don't think he left town because…" Ben lifted a paw up to his mouth, his eyes watering slightly.

"No— I mean I don't think so. Finnick, his friend, said they were there on 'business.'" Judy explained, not wanting to give too much away about what Nick was actually doing. She knew he was there, going back to his life of hustling. "He said they'd be back in two days. I'll just need to wait until he gets back to see if he'd even want to…" The thought of Nick going back to his old life, willing to forget all about her, made a deep sorrow take root in her chest.

"Honey, bunny," Ben put his paw down, but tears still threatening to fall from his eyes. He felt for Judy, and his sincere, almost sisterly, empathy made her feel like she wanted to let it out, right there, for all to see. Sensing this, Ben had an idea. "You know my lunch break is in about an hour, why don't you go file your reports or whatever you need to do and meet back here around then and we can go out to my car? You can tell me all about it then, OK? I'm a good listener!"

Judy rubbed her eyes, thankful for his offer. "Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks, Ben."

* * *

Nick heaved his breakfast into the toilet. His long back arched, his fur stood on end, and his mouth formed a toothy grimace as his tongue undulated to expel the acidic taste from his mouth. He did his best to keep his suit from getting dirty, he would no doubt have more difficulty speaking with the executive if he threw up all over himself.

He was alone in an executive restroom, hidden away in the smaller stall in a row that increased in size.

"Ahh, what's wrong with me," he sobbed quietly into the toilet. His legs were shaking, and he had to prop himself up against the wall. "I'm so… light-headed, nervous— why am I so _nervous?!_ " He balled his paw into a fist in frustration, he tried to keep quiet in case anyone else came in.

Nick hadn't been this anxious about doing a con with a high profile social angle in years. It felt like he was at his first gig all over again: nervous, high-strung, knots turning over in his stomach. He tried to get a hold of himself, but he was a complete wreck, scared and confused as the day he started.

"Just calm down, Nick," he coached himself, his voice wavering, "You can do this, it's just been a while, you're probably just rusty." He closed his eyes, not able to tell if his mood or his nausea was making them water.

"Red, you a'ight?" Finnick chimed in through the radio, startling Nick. He must have accidentally clicked the button when he made a fist. "If you wanna back out, that's fine, just—"

"No—! No…" Nick said, standing up. "I'm fine." He was straightening his jacket and wiping spit off the corners of his muzzle, as if anyone could see him now.

"You don't sound it," Finnick chirped. "Dude, I knew we shouldn'a did this while you were like that—"

"I said I'm—!" Nick interrupted, before promptly feeling the need to vomit again. Nick made sure the button in his paw finger wasn't pressed as he retched into the toilet.

"Seriously, this ain't gonna end well with you like this!" Finnick snapped, Nick barely hearing him over the sounds of his own dry heaving, "Didn't you see the security dudes in this building?"

Nick recalled the guards they had passed as he snuck into the building to drop Finnick off near a vent. They were armed with actual pistols; something that was rare in Zootopia, where even law enforcement were limited to less-than-lethal weapons.

"Dude, we could get killed," Finnick said, in a more concerned tone. "C'mon man, stop being a damn idiot for one-second and be straight with me, are you gonna be cool?"

"I…" Nick hesitated as he exited the stall and shambled towards a sink his height. He paused his speech as the toilet automatically flushed behind him, not wanting Finnick to overhear that. "…I don't know." He finally admitted pathetically, ashamed. "I'm so… I'm so nervous, I feel like I'm going to pass out— I'm _panicking_ — Fin, what's wrong with me?!"

"Calm down, breathe, man, everything is OK," Finnick said in an even tone, relieved that Nick was finally letting his legendarily stubborn defenses fall. It was a rather inopportune time, however. But maybe they could still retreat unscathed from this job and sort out all his personal problems. "Just listen to my voice, relax. Just concentrate and keep breathin' deep. I'm gonna head back out, come get me at the exit point, I've—"

"No, no," Nick pushed, not wanting to back out, "I can do this, just give me a minute. I can… I can do it— I just…" Realizing he couldn't formulate words, he stopped talking to take in deep breaths like Finnick instructed. He looked at himself in the mirror; a neurotic, shaken fox stared back, eyes wide with anxiety.

There was silence, Finnick was deciding if he trusted Nick enough to go forward in this state.

"Red, this company is a damn defense contractor for the Federation, they wouldn't think twice about poppin' us with them guns!"

"Please, just trust me," Nick pleaded, groaning. "I can do this, I have to do this. I—"

"Damnit, dude, why do we _have_ to do this?" Finnick scoffed skeptically, "This is just another job, it ain't worth gettin' shot over!"

"I… I know…" Nick relented. Why _did_ he feel he **needed** to do this? What was he trying to prove?

"Come on, man, get to my exit point, pick me up, and we can get outta here— job's a failure, nothin' wrong with that." Finnick reasoned, empathizing with Nick. "S'not like we ain't screwed up before, we just set out to do too much this time."

Nick thought for a moment, and looked at his pitiful reflection hunched over the sink, his own words echoed in his mind. _If the world's only gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy…_

"Red?" Finnick asked, "Red, you copy?"

He closed his eyes, his mind recalling Judy, standing at the podium. Clearly, a "Biological component," he recited aloud. He balled his paws and straightened up, looking at himself. _If this is what you see, carrots... what you_ ** _want_** _, this is what you get…_

After letting himself breathe and a little meditation to help him calm down, he made up his mind. He tightened his tie and pulled his nice overcoat downward to straighten it, and gave his reflection a hollow grin. Nick admitted his demons, and he would deal with them later. But right now, only one thing mattered: the hustle. This is what he was made for, it was in his ' _biology_ ,' after all.

He clicked his finger, "Cancel that, big guy." He said smugly. "I'm good to go, just needed to get that out of my system."

"Red, you better not be playin'," Finnick warned.

"Trust me, buddy," Nick said confidently, making his way out of the bathroom, adjusting his suit's cuffs. "I've got everything under control."

Finnick sighed into the radio, purposefully holding down the button for the entire duration of his reaction. He had felt somewhat reassured by Nick's tone. Nick's adaptable and confident air had returned, at least for now. "Alright, man… but I swear if you get me shot, I'll chew out your damn throat."

Nick chuckled, "Just like old times."


	10. SinistraNova

_June 18th, 20X8_

 _Before Noon_

 _Nova Ferocia, Northern Federation_

"How's it goin', sweetheart?" Nick was sweet-talking the snow leopard secretary. "Zootopian Commercial Litigation Consultant, Patrick Sternfang."

"Oh!" The leopard looked at Nick, surprised. "Mr. Sternfang! We-we weren't expecting you until this afternoon, we thought your flight was delayed." The secretary almost jumped out of her seat as she checked her post-its around her computer monitor to make sure she hadn't written it down incorrectly.

"It was, so I booked a flight with another airline at the last minute. I was able to make my original time," he responded without hesitation. "I apologize for the surprise, as you can see this lawsuit is bringing about a high urgency for both parties."

"O-of course! Bu-but I'm afraid that Mr. Hammond hasn't arrived in the office yet, he thought your appointment was later in the day. I'll call him now, please have a seat, I'm so sorry, sir," she apologized profusely, picking up the phone and pressing a few buttons.

"Not a problem, ma'am," he assured, "Please tell him what I have to discuss is extremely urgent." He sauntered over to a designer couch designated for waiting.

"Yes, yes, of course," she nodded, putting the phone up to her ear.

Nick studied the room he was in, a fancy executive lounge. Tall ceilings, enough for a giraffe, and long, with windows that let in the bright light outside. The walls were grey concrete, brutalist, with vertical ridges that extended to the ceiling. The whole room had a very industrial, yet upper-class, feel. The secretary's desk was round and also seemed to be made of concrete. The snow leopard was frantically looking at her computer's calendar and trying to explain to her boss that he was needed earlier than expected.

Several tall doors lined the room, wooden, with plaques on each. Nick spotted the office for Lister Hammond, the one they would undoubtedly be meeting in.

While Nick was much calmer than he was earlier, he still felt nervous, shaken. He pushed the feelings aside and did his best to meditate, breathe, and accept what he was feeling. He had been thinking of Judy, the pain she caused him, the way she made him feel; before _and_ after the press conference. Was he doing this job to spite her? This was a thought that had emerged from his subconscious, and he was now fully aware of it, and he was confused. He missed her, this much he knew, but she hurt him in ways even he didn't understand.

He shook the thoughts from his head, as he normally did when confronted with uncomfortable emotions. He tried to return to his mindful state, and breathe. If he was going to make it out of this place with what he wanted, or even unharmed, he would need his charismatic, versatile charm more than ever.

"Red," the tinny radio quietly projected Finnick's voice into his ear. "I found somethin', man— this is big, can you chat?"

Nick looked around, the secretary was still on the phone, she was being yelled at from the other end. Nick clicked the radio button in a sequence signifying that he could listen freely but only speak in a limited capacity.

"Well, listen then," Finnick continued. "Dude, I don't think this deal is gonna go down like we thought it was. The CFO, uhh, Margaret Hood, some tiny ermine broad, looks like she made the decision to add some chemical to the Caracort."

"What?!" Nick whispered, alarmed. "They did it on _purpose_?"

Nick had snuck Finnick into the C-Labs, a protected area of the building where clinical testing and limited-run test production of medications were conducted. He must've stumbled upon some well protected records, things they were trying to hide from the possible future federal audit.

"Yeah, dude," Finnick continued, "I found some quality sign-offs where they were asked to add some experimental chemical directly from Hood, I don't see any reason though. It looks like they expected the chemical to form some kind of harmless dependency on the inhalers. Only it turned out it ain't so harmless after all, side effects started showin' up years later. I'll send all this stuff in an email to you and Flash. We might be able to use this stuff as leverage if these cats ever try to retaliate after we run off with the money."

SinistraNova was facing an injunction from the Federation, if the lawsuit was ruled in the favor of the victims of the Caracort impurity, the government of the Northern Federation would consider dropping it as a contractor. If they found out that SinistraNova _poisoned_ its patients on _purpose_ … Nick and Finnick had found much more than they could've ever hoped for.

"I've got an idea," Nick said, a smile spreading on his muzzle. "I'm going to find the CFO; we're talking to her instead."

"Red, don't even mess around," Finnick warned, "You know the plan, I ain't goin' to prison for this…" Finnick knew what Nick was planning, and he now cursed himself for telling Nick what he found.

"Listen, buddy," he reasoned, feeling his excitement rise. "We can come out of this with much more than we expected, I set up a shell company in case something like this happened—"

"Fool, think about this!" Finnick hissed, "I know you the leader and all, but even Flash told you this is a bad idea, I say we stick with the plan." He could hear the greed in Nick's voice, and while normally that was a good thing, with the state Nick was in, Finnick wasn't so confident in his ability to work on the fly.

Nick looked over to the secretary; her conversation was wrapping up. Nick had already made up his mind. Certainly Flash would understand.

"Sorry, buddy, _new_ plan," Nick chirped. "Like you said, I'm the leader."

Nick could hear Finnick cursing on the other end, warning him to stop. Nick did his best to ignore him as he made his way to the secretary. He finally clicked his fingers, silencing the radio.

"Excuse me," Nick said sweetly, "I apologize, but could you be kind as to tell me where I may find Mrs. Hood?"

* * *

 _Savanna Central_

Judy tapped some digits into her time sheet on her computer. She sat alone in her cubicle at the precinct. While most cubicles were very personalized with pictures of family, toys, figures, posters, Judy's was bare. She hadn't yet gotten the energy nor excitement to have decorated her new cubicle.

Bogo had sent her home after Clawhauser had spoken with him, and she was just filling out her time sheet to reflect her time off. It felt good for her to have made a friend so quickly in the precinct, although the generously sized cheetah made friends with everyone that walked through the front door, including the mammals being booked.

After having a long chat with Ben in his car, she had felt better, but exhausted. She told him everything, and the large cat listened, his heart breaking as she relayed how she blamed herself for the protests, how she felt she achieved nothing but an empty dream, how she couldn't bring herself to tell her parents how ashamed she was… and the story of her and Nick.

After Ben's encouragement and even urging to "let it all out," she did. She cried for the first time since she was a young girl, and was shocked at just how much it hurt, how much she was holding back. Ben had picked her up, much to Judy's surprise, and hugged her close as he began to cry with her. Judy was much too distraught and in need of comforting to resist, and simply allowed the cheetah to hug her tightly, patting her on the back, giving her comforting words through his sobs, which threatened to overpower her own.

Eventually, Judy had calmed down. Ben kept crying though, the sight of Judy crying was too much for him. In the end, Judy was the one doing the comforting.

"Even though I didn't see much of you and Nick together," Ben started, handing Judy some tissues he had in his glovebox, "I can tell, you both have something special together."

"…What if he never forgives me?" She said forlornly, before becoming frustrated, "Ugh, I hate this feeling that I can't do anything!"

"Judy, you listen," Ben said sternly, yet compassionately, "If he's too stupid that he's going to just toss out your friendship over one dumb mistake, then he doesn't deserve to be your friend. This is as much of a trial for him as it is for you. You've reached out to him, and if this Finnick is honest with you and he's trying to get that 'dumb fox' to talk to you, then you've done your part. It's his turn to calm down and prove that your friendship is stronger than the mistakes both of you made. Trust me honey-bunny, you'll both keep making mistakes." He bellowed a laugh, as if he spoke from experience.

"But that's the problem! We only knew each other for a few days before it happened, but I miss him so much! And I feel so guilt-ridden that I hurt him, what if he doesn't feel the same way about me? How could I think I even mean _anything_ to him—?"

"Think about it," Ben interrupted gently, "if you meant so little to him, how could he have been hurt so deeply?"

There was a silence, Judy reflected on this. He had filled out his application; he _had_ wanted to be her partner. He was willing to give up his old life, and start anew just for her... And he _was_ hurt by what she said. Their relationship had developed so much in their short time together. Judy could now see that without a doubt. It was a bittersweet realization; while they had shared a deep meaningful friendship, he was gone now, and she was still unsure when... _if_ he would come back.

"I know it's a really tough thing to do," Ben continued, cautious, "But you need to trust him to let you know when he's ready..."

Judy tapped away at her computer as she fondly recalled the conversation. Ben was right. If the friendship was truly one-sided, then…

Judy finished her time sheet and sent an email to Bogo, confirming that she went home for the day. Ben truly was a great friend, and she was thankful for his strong support. Judy made a decision: she would do her best to stop moping. The protests weren't her fault, even though she felt otherwise, and tomorrow, she would do her best to go out there and protect the city while it fought itself. The city would eventually tucker itself out, and things would go back to normal… right?

It was something she could dedicate herself to while she waited for Nick. It was obvious he didn't want to be found right now, but as she trusted him before, she had to trust him again, to come back to Zootopia, and let her make amends.

* * *

Finnick scurried through the ducts of the research building, cursing Nick under his breath.

 _That_ ** _idiot_** _, that damn_ ** _fool!_** he screamed in his mind, _I knew something like this would happen._

Something wasn't right with Nick, he was emotionally compromised, this much was apparent to the small fox. In hindsight, he should've done more to try to get Nick to talk before agreeing to this job.

He had to get to Nick and stop him before he made an unrecoverable mistake. Could Nick pull it off? Normally, yes, absolutely, 100%. Could Nick pull this off in the state he was in? There was no doubt in Finnick's mind that Nick was going to get himself killed, or worse, thrown in a Northern Federation prison.

Finnick stopped and took a look at the map of the air system that Flash had sent as part of the job details. He would need to come out of the ducts to cross the vernacular that connected the research building with the executive complex. Without Nick to carry him in the duffel bag, he would be exposed as he crossed the entire walkway.

He put the phone away, resuming his frantic scurrying, and pleaded in his mind that no one would be there to see him.

* * *

"Just what is it you think you found?" The female ermine asked skeptically, "I assure you that your business is with Mr. Hammond, as I am not involved with our legal strategy for the impending legal affair." Margaret Hood's tone of voice was even and professional, almost indifferent.

Mrs. Hood was seated in a very small circular desk that was in the middle of a large room, large enough for an elephant to comfortably call his own. The desk was atop a multi-stepped platform with the stairs a size that she could ascend without assistance.

Nick was nearly eye level with the powerful executive. "Mrs. Hood, I'm sure you're aware that your company is not sufficiently prepared to deal with this lawsuit, it is my understanding that you have an impending injunction from the Federation. If you are proven liable in this lawsuit, your government will bar your company from selling any of your products in foreign territories, _including_ Zootopia."

These were practiced lines for Nick. While he didn't quite understand law, or foreign policy, or business, he did know what to say to get what he wanted, with a little help from the information him and Flash were able to put together.

"Mr. Sternfang," the tiny white ermine leaned forward on her desk, clasping her paws together in front of her, "I fail to see why you felt the need to address me directly, if you would kindly—"

"Ah, yes," he interrupted, putting up a paw. He noticed his paw was shaking slightly, so he hid it behind his back, "I do understand you are a very busy mammal. So let me get down to it. My team and I have uncovered information that could be… _inconvenient_ were it to appear in court against you. It appears I was able to uncover compelling evidence that _you_ personally were responsible for the decision that caused the chemical impurity in the Caracort." He gave her a smug grin, pausing for her reaction. He could feel himself becoming nervous as he had gone on the offensive, now with accusatory implications, and his confidence from earlier was already starting to waver.

 _Keep it together_ , he coached mentally. _I have the upper hand._ He forced himself to breathe normally, hoping the ermine wouldn't catch his nervous body language.

Mrs. Hood's expression cycled through one of shock, then to one of hostility. He saw her run some mental calculations before coming to her conclusion, "Are you… are you intending to _blackmail_ me?"

"I'm merely suggesting that if I was able to uncover this information so easily," he lied, "Then who is to say that a certain law-firm wouldn't be able to find it just _as_ easily?"

The ermine sat back in her chair, and studied Nick. Had she caught onto the hints his body was throwing off that he was nervous? Nick could feel himself get light-headed again. He tried to calm himself down, to meditate, as he struggled to keep his confident demeanor.

"I see, Mr. Sternfang," she said, giving him on odd grin. "What is it that you found, and what do you propose?"

Was she falling for it? Humoring him? Nick's mind raced to find answers; years of hustling had honed his ability to read the mammals he swindled into a second nature. But it seemed, in this case, to be quite the opposite: she was trying to read him. And there was so much to read.

"We were able to find drug quality reports, signed by yourself," Nick stated, doing his best to keep his voice from wavering. "Authorizing the use of an experimental addictive substance in a manufacturing run of Caracort. This chemical was tested by your own labs, showing no _short_ term side-effects, so you made the decision to continue production using this additive."

Nick could feel his confidence returning. He relished watching the ermine squirm as he continued reciting the evidence that Finnick had collected, and the dire consequences of ignoring said evidence. Not only to her company, but criminal charges that would undoubtedly follow against her.

"We should be able to make this disappear," Nick prepared himself to deliver his most generous offer. SinistraNova wouldn't be able to give Nick money during the litigation, this questionable movement of funds would draw too much suspicion. "If you would 'sell' all three Ferocia Allergibbon facilities that you obtained during the acquisition of the company for say, I dunno… one Zootopian buck a piece? Not only would I get what I want, but the sale of the property, as I understand it, would prevent the opposing law-firm from collecting evidence or manufacturing information from the property, as it would no longer fall under a legal hold. My team can, of course, work to back-date the sale of the property to have occurred before the court order to retain the information regarding Caracort."

Mrs. Hood sat in her chair, overwhelmed. Nick smirked at her, confident that he had delivered the final blow. And in truth, he had; a look of panic overshadowed the ermine's face.

"Mr— um… Look, if I agree to this," she said, trying to not appear eager to find the easy way out of this whole mess she had gotten herself in, "If we make this sale, save my company— h-how can I be sure you won't turn around and release the information?"

Nick chuckled, "It's not just a matter of trust, sweetheart. We would be in the same boat: if we expose you, then we expose ourselves. It would be in our best interest, to keep your company afloat, and _you_ out of prison. Which, I'm sure me and my team would be glad to do for a certain yearly fee for our services. You know what they say: if you're good at something, never do it for free."

The ermine sighed, her eyes closed. Nick waited patiently for her response, but he already knew the answer. She opened her eyes, and surveyed him for a moment. Eventually, after a period of silence, Nick noticed he had been taking in shallow breaths subconsciously. The corporate mammal grinned, seemingly noticing at the same time. This grin sent a chill through Nick's spine, and his legs started trembling. The ermine immediately took notice of his sudden change.

"Mr. Sternfang, if that _is_ your real name," Hood spoke smoothly, every hint of panic gone. Was she toying with him? "I know of another way we can make this all go away."

Nick didn't like the way this was going. She was trying to call his bluff. The only problem was that he wasn't bluffing; he had what he needed to blackmail her, and quite thoroughly, in fact. But his body betrayed him, he could feel the darkness of panic swell within him again. Nick had to say something, or he risked losing the deal.

"Really?" He spoke, attempting to calm himself. "Because as I see it, you're looking a pretty go-good—" His eyes grew wide as he realized his stutter, he cleared his throat. Hood smiled at him, a look of affirmation that she was pushing back and gaining ground. "…a pretty good deal. _Or_ we could just call it quits here, and I could bring all the information and sell it to a certain interested law-firm. Either way I—"

Hood interrupted with a giggle, rising slowly from her chair. She had seen enough. Nick stopped talking mid-sentence, and he was once again reduced to silence. Even though Nick had all the cards, held all the advantages, he lost one thing: his nerve.

The ermine thought he was bluffing, and maybe she could simply call it and be rid of him, or she had something up her tiny sleeve. Either way, Nick was losing, his mind went blank as to what to do next, and the feeling of nausea returned.

"That is— I mean—" Nick stammered pathetically, as the tiny mammal leaned forward, her paws resting on her desk, "What do you think you… um…" No longer was she under the spell of Nick's legendary charm, or at least what little remained of it.

"I think I have another plan," She began, boisterous and stern, her voice dripping with a sickening confidence. She could see how the fox crumbled before her, and she was becoming increasingly annoyed with his presence.

 _No, no, no, no…_ Nick echoed in his head, his eyes closing, ears lowering. _This is all_ ** _wrong_** _! What's happening to me!?_

"I have two security personnel outside my door, armed. I'm sure in Zootopia, things like that are regulated, but here in my territory, we play by my rules. You're going to tell me where it is you—"

An alarm blared, the sharp sound pierced the ears of both mammals, both trying fruitlessly to shield themselves from the audio. But as quickly as the alarm had sounded, it ended. Both mammals looked at each other.

Shaken from her silence, Mrs. Hood reached over to her intercom. "Wh-what's happening?"

"Armed intruder in the building, ma'am, please remain calm," a male voice on the intercom answered.

"L-look, Mrs. Hood, I'm sure it's nothing," he said, his legs shaking. He talked fast, without thinking, "I— I should probably get going!" He backed up slowly, waving his hands in the air as he talked, pointing both fingers towards the door after spinning them in a circle, "I'll call you later with the details, we can get that deal we discussed all hammered out! I'm sure you're a _very_ busy mammal."

"Security!" The ermine shouted.

 _Oh no, nonononono!_ He panicked as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest.

A caribou and wolf burst into the room, already on high alert with their lethal weapons drawn. They spotted Nick immediately, and trained both their weapons' sights on him.

"Get down on the ground!" The caribou shouted, with him and the wolf quickly but cautiously approaching the panicked fox.

"Guys! Guys, this is all just a misunderstanding—!" He tried to reason.

"Sir, keep your hands we can see them and get down on the ground!" The caribou boomed.

"Ah, what the—?!" The wolf shouted in distress as he attempted to reach around his own back. "Aagggh!" He shouted, his face grimacing as he stiffened up.

Nick watched, shocked, as a small fox leapt from the wolf to the caribou and latched onto the bulky protrusion of his vest armor. The caribou dropped his pistol as he stiffened up as well.

First the wolf, then the caribou, fell to the floor. Finnick stood on the back of the caribou, getting his balance back. Both security officers were unconscious, a metallic ball latched on to the back of each of their necks.

Finnick hopped off of the caribou and holstered his taser. He glanced between the equally alarmed Nick and corporate ermine.

"Sorry to interrupt," Finnick said, crossing his arms. A knowing look passed between him and Nick, one of begrudging annoyance and deference. Whatever plans they had had crumbled with Nick's ego or confidence, and now they were flying by the seat of their pants. It was up to Nick to salvage what was left of this job. "Continue."

Nick turned back to the flabbergasted Mrs. Hood, and gave her a quick toothy smile. His confidence had returned, at least for a single moment. He straightened his overcoat, and chuckled his usual foxy chuckle.

"As I was saying."


	11. Promise

_23 Years ago_

 _September 8th, 19X4_

 _Late Night_

 _Savanna Central, Harbor Industrial_

Morgan drove her robin's egg blue sedan, frantically searching for Nick. She could feel an acidic taste in the back of her throat as she frantically looked in the darkened industrial section for her son. Her breath quickened as she feared not finding him in the one place she thought he would be.

Nick hadn't come home, it was about an hour after the Jr. Ranger Scout meeting had supposedly ended, and had gone to see if he was just staying late. The room was empty, the meeting had ended, and Nick was no where to be found.

In a panic, she searched the area in front of the building, anywhere he could be. The alley, a nearby shop, down the street, inside the building again. No one had seen him, and no one seemed willing to help the desperate single mother, who happened to be a fox. All she could find was a strange muzzle that had Nick's scent. She had sniffed it, taking in scents of not only Nick, but the smell of distress. Someone had put a muzzle on her son.

She had called the ZPD and reported him missing, possibly kidnapped, and they had assured her they would start looking immediately and instructed her to stay where she was. Morgan couldn't sit still for long, and had driven to the only other place Nick would go if he was upset: an old airfield in the Zootopia Sound Bay area. It was a rather busy industrial zone during the day, but a silent and dark husk of factories and warehouses during the night.

She parked her car and got her flashlight from the glovebox. Downtown Savanna Central was safe enough; most younger mammals could wander around at night without worry. But in this area, there was no telling what dangers would have awaited Nick.

The flashlight was dull, but it was bright enough to help Morgan see without blinding her night vision in her peripheral view.

"Nick?" She called, her voice shaky, the hand that held the flashlight even shakier. "Nick, honey?" She called his name repeatedly, starting quietly, but eventually raising her voice. She wandered through the unkempt lot toward the main building of the airfield. A large abandoned airship hangar that, back in its heyday, held one of the largest cargo airships in Zootopia. Now, it was an abandoned building, a defunct dream.

"Nicky, please, answer me, honey!" She pleaded, tears streaming down her face and around her muzzle.

She wandered over a stone bridge, a slow-moving river sloshing beneath it. Continuing to plead, as if the begging would somehow make her son materialize, she approached the large dark building. Her flashlight searched along the boarded up hangar doors. Flyers that read, "Wilde Times!" In extravagant lettering littered the area. A stark reminder of brighter times, when her family was whole.

 _You're all I have left!_ She cried in her mind, _Where are you, Nick? Please be here… be safe…_

"Nicky!" She called, her voice raw from screaming into the darkness.

"Mom…?" A small distant voice called, weak, and afraid.

Morgan immediately darted towards the direction of the sound, instinctually sniffing in the air, but resisting the urge to dash on all fours so she could keep the grip on her flash light.

"Nicky?" She called comfortingly, yet her worry still shining through. "Nicky, mommy's here, where are you?" She asked, still sniffing, narrowing in on his scent.

She searched along the length of the rotted hangar, racing toward the source of the scent: a hole in the boarded up entrance to the office. It was nothing more than a room inside in the hangar that was once used to process paperwork. Morgan crouched down, but quickly realized she was too big to fit inside. She shined her light into the small entrance and scanned the area for Nick.

"Nicky?" She called sweetly, but urgently, "Please honey, let's go home, what's wrong?"

There was no answer, only the sound of muffled sobbing. Nick did not want his mother to hear him cry.

"Nicky," She pleaded softly, "Please, come talk to me, tell mommy what happened."

She continued looking through the office, shining her light around into each corner. Spilled papers, tipped over filing cabinets, and desks of varying sizes, but no Nick.

Morgan sighed, and turned off her flashlight. She pulled her arm out of the hole's opening and sat back on her haunches on the crumbling concrete.

She had a feeling she knew what had happened, something she had worried would have happened. Her son wanted to join a Jr. Ranger Scouts troop that was all prey, and in her childhood, that was something that just didn't happen. But the world was changing and she had hoped, for her son's sake, that the world she grew up in had gone and Nick would have a chance at fitting in. But it seems, the world hadn't changed enough, at least, not yet.

"Honey," she said, calmly, "Mommy's here, it's OK."

The muffled sound of sobbing slowed. Morgan sat quietly, patiently waiting for her precious kit to come out and let her mother him.

A moonlit face finally appeared in the hole, a grimace soaked in tears. Nick was relieved to see his mother, but ashamed to be seen in this state.

"Get in here, kiddo," she said, giving a relieved grin, and held out her arms in a welcoming embrace.

He gingerly crawled out of the entrance, jagged wood catching the handkerchief around his neck. He wiggled out of it, not caring, as he desperately needed motherly affection. The handkerchief fell, a few sobs breaking through his voice as he shambled on all fours before straightening up. Nick entered into his mother's loving embrace, hugging her back tightly. Morgan patted her son on the head, instinctively brushing his disheveled fur back into place.

"There-there," she comforted, "Oh, you little foxes…" She held her son close, grateful that he was safe and in her care again.

"Mom…" Nick finally said, a frail sorrowful voice.

"Shhhh-shhh," she comforted, rocking him back and forth, still on her haunches. "I know, honey, mommy knows."

She hummed a comforting tune to fill the silence, her little boy sobbing into her blouse. The two sat in the moonlight, the sounds of a crying kit filled the night.

"Why… did I think I could fit in, mom?" Sobbed Nick, gripping onto his mother's clothing.

She patted him on the head, thinking for a moment. "Because you're a trier, you're my little trier."

"I wanted to have some friends— anyone— they were supposed to be my friends!" He shook the fabric in his small paws then pulled himself closer to his mother. "I thought they were my friends… I thought they were my friends! I tried, mom…" He sobbed harder. "I tried! I tried! I tried! I tried—!"

"Shhh-shhh," she calmed him, continuing to rock him back and forth. "I know you did, honey. I know." The world they lived in now was definitely a far cry from her childhood's world. But Morgan believed the world was still changing, still moving forward, making mistakes and righting wrongs. While it had hurt her son so dearly, she still believed in _him_ , that he would be the one to prove that predators… _foxes_ , could be more, and had a place in this wonderful changing world.

"Don't you ever stop trying," she whispered, holding him tighter. "Don't you ever give up. No matter what happens to you, no matter _who_ hurts you. Keep trying. This is a beautiful city, I know you'll find your place, and your friends."

"What if I never find my place?" Nick cried, his sobs ebbing, "What if no one wants to be my friend, just because I'm a… I'm a fox… Mom, I don't wanna be a fox anymore…"

"Honey," Morgan pulled her son away to look into in his tear-filled eyes. "Listen to me, you are so much more than just a fox. Don't ever let anyone make you feel like you will never be anything more. You can be whoever you want to be, no matter what type of mammal you are. You _will_ find mammals who will accept you, and love you for who you are. Just gotta keep trying."

Nick looked back into his mother's eyes. She truly believed in Nick, nothing could tell her otherwise. Nick let out a tiny smile, which Morgan returned, and pulled him back into a loving embrace.

"Promise me, Nicky," she said sternly, holding him tight. "Promise me you'll always try, never give up."

Nick paused for a moment, then nodded his head quickly. "OK, mom… I promise."

The mother and son sat for a moment, surrounded by the ambient sounds of distant traffic and their quiet breath between them.

"Mom?" Nick said after a while, his crying subsided.

"Mm-hmm?" Morgan said, rubbing his back once before ending the hug and standing up to look down at her son.

"I'm hungry…" he replied bashfully.

She laughed, the comforting sound filled them both with warmth. Morgan rubbed his head, ruffling his freshly groomed fur, giving him a giggle of his own.

Morgan turned on her flashlight, spotting the handkerchief that had fallen.

"Ah, can't forget this!" She chirped, picking it up.

"But mom, I'm not…" he started, tears threatening to well up again.

"Hey, hey, no one said you can't keep the handkerchief," she reassured, tying it back around his neck. "Besides, you look so handsome with it. Keep it as a reminder of the promise you made to me."

"You're so sentimental, Mom," Nick teased, showing a precious smile.

"If there's one thing foxes are known for, it's sentimentality," she returned, taking his hand, "C'mon, kiddo." She smiled. "Let's go get some chow, it'll be a midnight snack."

The two started their way back through the dark airfield. While Nick was still troubled, he was filled with determination from his promise: to keep trying, to find his friends, to find the ones who would love him for who he was.

* * *

 _Present day_

 _June 19th, 20X8_

 _Morning_

 _Nova Ferocia, Northern Federation_

Nick lay in his bed, in the cold hotel room, curled into a fox ball. The room was dim once again, the only light coming in from the overcast sky outside. He had done it; he had pulled off the biggest hustle of his life.

With Finnick by his side while talking to Hood, he was able to get his nerve back, and show the feisty ermine that he did in-fact have all the dirt to prove her dirty little deed. Everything he needed was in the information Finnick collected on his phone from the C-Lab.

She had agreed to sign over all three production facilities for a most generous offer of three zootopian bucks. A fee that Nick had to offer a raincheck for, as he had forgotten his wallet. She signed the necessary documents, and even agreed to an annual fee of 180,000 bucks for his continued promise that he would keep this all a little secret and do everything in his power to keep her out of prison. Whether she paid this money using SinistraNova funds or her own, that was her problem.

Nick shivered, his breath leaving a fog in the air as he breathed. The room was designed to allow for freezing temperatures, as well as for warmth, depending on the preferences and natural inclination of its guest. And Nick did prefer the cold sometimes.

He had faced a dangerous rival and it had almost gone horribly wrong, but he, with a little help from Finnick, had been able to turn it around in their favor. They had emerged with a take they could have only dreamed of, even back when Nick had worked with Mr. Big and Pythia…

Throughout his career, Nick had had close calls before, too many to count. And he always managed to luck out, and even come out of it with more profit than expected. In the past, these victories would inflate his ego, giving him a sense of tremendous achievement, pride, and affirmation.

This time, all he felt was shame. A subtle, yet undeniable, shame.

There was a knock at his door, a familiar one. Nick stayed quiet. Another knock.

"It's not locked…" He finally said begrudgingly.

There was a pause, "…Can't reach the knob."

Nick uncurled from his ball, amused by his shorter friend's door-reaching-woes. "Why don't you just hop up to it?" He said under his breath, shaking his head as he made his way to the door.

He let Finnick into the room. Turns out that Finnick, and his generous ears, were able to hear Nick's comment.

"I hurt my back during the sneaking job…" he said grumpily, rubbing his lower back as he walked into the room.

Nick returned to the bed, sitting on the edge, and Finnick hopped up to stand on the chair next to the table. He saw that Nick had poured another glass of cheap brandy, and left it untouched on the table.

"This for me?" Finnick asked, mockingly. "Can't say it's the best drink."

Nick didn't reply, simply giving his friend a half hearted grin.

"Look, man," Finnick continued, sitting down in the chair. "I know you think I'm here to rip you a new one 'bout the job… and I am. But you don't gotta beat yourself up about this."

Nick chuckled at the irony of that sentence, but said nothing.

Finnick sighed, "Why won't you talk to me? You know you can tell me anything." He said seriously, in a sincere tone that he rarely used.

Nick looked over to his friend, then shrugged. He wanted to tell him, tell him everything. But he didn't know what to say, so he just defaulted to what he usually did when he was at a loss: "Nothing to talk about…"

"Dude, don't make me get up outta this chair," he teased. "Hey, I think it's time you got this off your chest… I saved your life, you owe me one."

"…What do you want to know?" Nick finally relented, letting out a long sigh through his nose.

"Judy. Tell me what you think 'bout her."

Nick resisted the urge to say something sarcastic, benign, or dismissive. He was tired of this feeling, and he trusted Finnick.

"She's um… she's amazing…" he said after a pause, his voice breaking. He spared a glance at Finnick, to see if that satisfied his question. It didn't. "She's so full of life, full of energy… When I first met her, I thought she was just naive— and don't get me wrong, she's got plenty of naivety. But she's just got this… this way of bending reality…"

Finnick raised his eyebrow at this, confused.

"I mean," Nick continued, scooting to face his friend better. "OK, so she's a rabbit, and I'm sure I'm not the first one to tell her she shouldn't be a cop. She _is_ one, she worked so hard to overcome _everyone_ , including me, that said otherwise. She's still struggling with other mammals telling her she's not an officer. But she still tries, she doesn't give up, and she's been doing this her whole _life_! I just… I think…" He realized he was rambling, almost excitedly, about the rabbit. Finnick was giving him a knowing grin, not only because Nick was finally opening up, but because he was affirmed of one thing. But Finnick had to be sure before he sprang the question on him.

"She hurt you then?" Finnick asked, "I heard what she said, too. I missin' something?"

Nick's smile faded, he slowly stared towards the carpeted floor.

"She asked me to be…" Nick started, his eyes getting watery, he tried to blink it away fruitlessly. "Um… she asked me to be her partner. A police officer."

Finnick raised both eyebrows in realization. Judy had left that part out when she told him her story.

"And what'd you say?" Finnick gently pressed Nick to continue, not sure if Nick's mood would change. Pushing too hard could result in him withdrawing and locking up these secrets again for no telling how long.

"I didn't say, I filled out the application," Nick closed his eyes. "I was ready— ready to leave this all behind. Fin, I wanted it, I've never wanted anything more." Nick waved his paws around, struggling to put into words the way he felt. "The way she looked at me… She believed in _me_ the same way she believed in herself… and _I_ believed _her_ … and then…"

"Then?" Finnick pressed, trying to keep the spill of emotions flowing. "She said those things, right?" He knew what this was, he knew that look in Nick's eyes. He had seen it before.

"Yeah…" Nick said, sorrowfully. "Yep, she did, she did."

"Why'd it hurt you so much?" Finnick asked, trying to steer the conversation towards a single realization.

Nick thought for a moment, he shivered, not from the cold, but from the long needed release of emotion. Finnick, however, was cold, and seeing this, he looked around for the remote that controlled the fire place. Finding it on the table, he pressed a few buttons, and a fire lit itself, adding a subtle orange glow to the room.

"She…" Nick started again, trying to articulate. "It was like… she was a rabbit, a prey… she was able to become an officer. But me, I'm a predator… I have a 'biology', I could go savage, I could hurt her… It wasn't really what she _said_."

Nick looked at Finnick, who had sat back down and was listening intently. He made eye contact knowingly, and the clarity came to Nick's head.

"Finny, she was afraid of me… the way she talked about predators, how she carried around that fox repellant. I tried! I kept waiting to see if she would take it off, or leave it behind— I never gave her any reason for it. I even— even sat next to her, held her when she was freezing while we waited for her backup in South Canyon. The morning of the press conference, she even changed her outfit, _and she put it back on_ …" Nick's throat was sore, he realized he was almost ready to break down.

Finnick had heard enough, he knew without a doubt what this was. Before Nick could escape back behind his dreaded mask of indifference, he delivered his final blow. "You like her. Yeah?"

Nick looked away, and closed his eyes. He wasn't ready to go that far, and started to feel embarrassed.

"Do I feel that we have a deep friendship?" He tried to deflect. "Yes, yes I do." There was no smug grin this time, no cocky intonation. Only Nick.

"Nah, nah," Finnick shook his head, grinning from ear to ear. "It finally comes out, don't try to pull back into that crap. I know you, man."

Nick stood up, and put his paws in his pockets. He walked over to the fire place and sat down on his haunches in the warm orange glow, and stayed silent.

"Hey, man," Finnick said, his grin fading away. He got down from the chair and walked over to his buddy, standing behind him. "It's OK, you know I'm not gonna judge. I'm no interspeciaphobe—"

"It's not that." Nick said plainly.

"OK, then maybe you need to talk to her. I know I'm repeatin' myself, but you can't like someone and deny it forever."

"Maybe I can."

" _Yeah_?" Finnick scoffed, preparing himself for the sarcastic Nick. "Maybe you can't, what then?"

Silence.

"This ain't like you, Nick!" Finnick shouted, taking Nick off-guard. "You ain't the kind that holds grudges! You said so yourself, you gotta deep friendship or whatever. You forgave me for much worse!"

"I— I know! It's just—"

"It's just _what_? You gonna forget she exists because she said something' stupid? Just gonna forget your feelings for her?"

Nick huffed.

"What she did, was it really so bad? She hurt your feelings? Now you gonna punish her for the rest of her life?"

"No!" Nick snapped, preparing himself to say something painful, "she'll forget about me! She— she probably doesn't feel that way about me."

"And what if she doesn't forget you? What if she does feel the same way? You guys such good friends, then why you gotta torture this poor girl? Listen to yourself, man! This ain't like you! You need to forgive her and tell her what's up—!"

"I CAN'T!" Nick shouted, spinning his head to look at Finnick, his eyes red, full of emotion. After a beat, Nick quickly stood up, and walked back towards the bed. "I can't do this— I can't do this again."

The word 'again' rang in Finnick's head.

Nick crawled into the bed under the blankets, tie, silk shirt, and all. He returned to his fox-ball form.

Finnick didn't know what to say, he had begged Nick to open up, to tell him his problems. Now that he had done so, Finnick was at a loss. He had never seen his friend so shaken up, it was harrowing.

"Thanks, buddy," Nick began, his voice weak and distant. "I, um— I appreciate you listening but, I want to be alone right now, OK?"

Finnick gave an empathetic grin. "Sure, Nick." He made his way to the door, "You need someone to listen again, you know where to find me."

He leapt up to the door handle and pulled it open with a groan. He turned back to Nick once more before leaving. He was shivering, it was unclear wether it was the cold or…

"We did good yesterday… we good at this," He said, trying to end the conversation on a positive note. He wasn't sure how much good it would do for Nick in his state as it were. He closed the door, leaving Nick to his thoughts.

* * *

Notes: There we have it, one sappy chapter and Nick has admitted his feelings. Please let me know what you think!

We'll be getting back to Zootopia and re-uniting our lost duo in the next big chapter. Next chapter is going to be a big one, so I don't think I'll be able to keep with the almost twice weekly updates I've been doing, but I've made a 10k word update before, and it didn't take as long as I expected. So until next time!


	12. Reunion

**Notes:** Here it is! Took a lot more work than usual to make this chapter, and I had to break it up into 2 chapters because it got long, but I managed to leave it on a positive note. Please let me know what you think, if it was believable and/or satisfying. It's my first time writing such a large time skip, so hopefully it reads well. I hope you enjoy the feels!

* * *

 _June 20th, 20X8_

 _Afternoon_

 _Savanna Central_

"Hey, Fin."

"Mmm?"

"About you and Clarissa," Nick started, not exactly sure what he had set out to ask. The two had arrived back in Zootopia, and Finnick was driving Nick and his luggage back to his apartment. They were both lethargic from the long flight.

"What 'bout her?" Finnick raised an eyebrow. "No offense, but you never really seemed interested in hearing about her before."

"Uh-huh, I know," Nick realized, "We talked about _me_ yesterday, so I thought we'd talk about _you_ today. I… appreciate you being there for me, bud. Trying to get me to talk when I didn't want to."

Finnick scoffed, "You have no idea— you a real moron sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nick replied, embarrassed. "Trust me, I know how thick I can be—" Finnick made an annoyed sound of agreement, "—Thanks for sticking with me, even when I got a little… edgy."

"'Ey, 'ey, come on. S'not like we haven't been through worse."

Nick let out a small laugh, and a silence fell on them for a moment. Finnick glanced towards Nick before looking back to the road, and sighed.

"What's there to say, Nick?" Finnick started, responding to Nick's unanswered question. "Not gonna gush about her like you did for that bunny yesterday."

Nick felt the embarrassment return. He hadn't really had the chance to sort through his feelings, or even acknowledge them, which was unusual. Nick was a fox that always knew what he wanted, and how to get it. This time, Nick wasn't so sure what he wanted, he wasn't even sure what he felt.

"But, uh," Finnick looked over to his friend, recognizing Nick's embarrassment. "Yeah, man. Clarissa. I love that girl. She's everything to me. Even though she hates me right now, doesn't change anything. She's always so caring, so smart… she can't cook though—" The two shared a laugh, "…Like you said about that bunny, it's 'the way she looks at you.' Clarissa looks at me, and I feel like I can just forget all the bad stuff I did, you know? It all just melts away, like it don't matter. Ah, maybe not _forget_ , but… be OK with it, you know what I mean?"

Nick thought on what Finnick said for a moment. He hadn't seen Judy in almost two weeks, but he could clearly remember the way she looked at him. When she gave him the employment application, when he had yelled at her— he shook his head, the thoughts becoming too painful too quickly.

"You, uh, you think she'll ever take you back?" Nick asked, before realizing that what he said was insensitive. Finnick's face darkened suddenly. "Sorry… didn't think that out before I said it…"

"Nah," Finnick shook his head slowly, in thought, "You're good. I thought about that. Made up my mind already. I'm gonna keep tryin', as long as it takes. I'm gonna keep livin' this van, and talking to her everyday, tellin' her how sorry I am. Sorry for the lies, for the work I did with you and Tony… for the accident…"

Nick gave Finnick a consoling grin, giving him his usual brush on the shoulder with the back of his paw. "Keep at it, big guy. She, uh… she really mean that much to you? To just live in your van and keep trying?"

"She does," Finnick said, no hesitation, "Maybe I'm just a fool, but that girl means everything. Makes me feel like everything in my life was worth it, you know? Like she gives me the strength to accept all the dumb crap I did."

The two drove in a silence, both having some thoughts to process. The traffic was heavier than usual from what he remembered. Slowly, he realized there were far more cars on the road and soon he saw why.

Nearly every subway entrance and bus station, every public space zoned for walking, was clogged with protestors and counter-protestors, everyone out to make their voice heard. Finnick had switched on the radio, and the news anchor reported of new savage attacks, updates on the newly found "Missing Mammals", and the unresolved mystery behind it all.

Nick drowned out the ambience of the increasingly chaotic news and scenes before him. _What's happening to this city…?_ He found his mind wandering freely back to the one who he'd helped solve the case. He wondered how she was handling all the developments, the image of her trying to keep the peace during a protest stuck in his mind. She was so small, and all of this… It was a lot to handle. _I hope carrots is alright…_

* * *

Nick's phone vibrated as he held it up to the door for his apartment. The door's lock clicked, and he let himself in, returning the phone to his pocket. He took in a deep breath, relieved to finally be home.

He dropped his luggage on the floor and resisted the urge to go straight to bed. He was too tired to deal with the swirling emotions in his head, he just wanted to sleep. He closed the door, the sun light from the hallway disappeared.

He loosened his tie as he stumbled around his dark apartment, the blackout curtains on his large apartment window preventing much of the sun from entering. He dropped the still knotted tie on his kitchen counter, followed shortly by his green silk shirt, still buttoned, merely pulled off over his head.

He pulled a cup from his cupboard, using his other paw to brush over his stomach fur, fluffing it after being under clothing for the whole flight. He filled the cup with water from his fridge dispenser as he let out a noisy, foxy yawn. Feeling his phone vibrate, he pulled it and his wallet out of his pants and put them on the counter with his shirt and tie, before downing the water cup in one swig. He tossed the empty plastic cup into the sink with a clatter dismissively.

Nick picked his phone back up from the counter and made his way to the couch. Slipping out of his pants and abandoning them to the floor, he slumped, sighing, into the couch and checked the message his phone alerted him to. It was Finnick.

( Remember to talk to Flash. I can never tell with that guy, but I think he's pissed. )

"Right," He said quietly, "Not looking forward to that…" He yawned again, _Although he can't be that mad, we made off with even more than we planned… even though it is in the form of three foreign factories… and money we won't see until the legal stuff is over…_ ** _and_** _I almost ended up in a foreign prison…_ He groaned, cringing about how he had choked when talking to Hood, his confidence leaving him when he needed it most. _What was I thinking…_

Nick pondered for a moment about what happened, replaying the conversation in his head. How he had Hood on the run, but she turned it around so quickly, making him panic. He questioned why he even went to Nova Ferocia in the first place. He hadn't left the city, or even tried to pull off something so dangerous or risky since working with…

Something clicked in Nick's head. Rather, it was something he already knew, but refused to confront. He _had_ gone to Ferocia to spite Judy, to prove to some imaginary version of her that he was good at what he did, good at what he _was_. But all he did was prove the exact opposite, that he was losing it. He wanted to escape Zootopia, to escape Judy. Only he realized too late that his problems had followed him to the frozen federation.

"Carrots…" he whispered, thinking about the conversation he had with Finnick yesterday. "Forgive you…? I can't even forgive myself…" His voice had a subtle whine to it, even in his hushed tone.

He hadn't seen Judy since seeing her on TV, before he left for his trip. He pulled up his phone and opened the internet browser, pausing as he hovered his padded finger over the search field.

"Maybe I'll come talk to you tomorrow…" he suggested quietly.

He tapped away at his phone, **Judy Hopps** appeared in his search bar.

 _I'll see if she's in the news,_ he thought, _If she's still OK…_

He hesitated, hovering over the button to start the search. The time they spent together replayed in his mind: how she frustrated him when they met, the way she looked at him. The look didn't change, only the way it made him feel. Judy didn't see a Fox, or a shifty low-life con-mammal. Judy saw Nick, and she followed him relentlessly, wanting to see more of the real Nick, no matter how hard he resisted, or how much of a facade he put up. And the more she looked at him, the more he _wanted_ her to see the real Nick Wilde.

Until that fateful morning, the morning where what precious little he knew of the bunny, was contradicted by a few words: "Biology," "Savage ways," "Aggressive Instincts…"

Nick huffed, "No. I'm not doing this again," he hissed, erasing what he had typed and tossing the phone aside. He stood up from the couch, hastily finding the clothes he had tossed around, putting them back on. "No more pouting, no more moping around."

He finished re-dressing in his disheveled clothes, and grabbed his phone from the couch, stuffing it into his pocket hastily. Nick strode to his door and opened it, the light of the sunny hallway spilled into his dark apartment. He paused.

 _Forget about me, sweetheart…_ he thought, the painful words echoing in his mind.

Bitterly resolute, he stepped out of his apartment, closing the door behind him. His phone vibrated, confirming the door had locked. Nick then set off to prove to the world that it was right about him all along; he really was just a shifty, untrustworthy fox.

* * *

 _2 Months later_

The days rolled by, each smearing into the next. Nick played it safe, opting for the same routine that he knew was no risk. He made his pawpsicles and continued to sell everything involved, using his philosophy that nothing went to waste, and that he did nothing technically illegal. He no longer trusted himself to be able to use his charm to hustle anything more than a living for himself and his smaller buddy.

Flash had eventually calmed down from losing the deal with the law firm for the SinistraNova job and was satisfied with the eventual promise of money. He had taken one of the production facilities obtained from the deal and had signed it over to Kaslov, one of Mr. Big's associates. In return, Kaslov signed over an old abandoned airfield to Nick. Why Nick had requested this deal, Flash was unsure, but he knew better than to try to get answers when Nick was in this mood.

The law suit against SinistraNova was dropped, with a little extra influence from Flash and his team. The firm responsible for the bold legal action begrudgingly took to heart that its biggest source of evidence had disappeared.

Hood had promised the first payment shortly after the publicity aftermath had dried up. A promise she had made good on a few weeks later, and Flash was able to launder and distribute a small portion of the money between them.

The city had not calmed down, the protesting had only increased due to even more savage outbreaks. Some demonstrations had even devolved to end-of-days ranting, what started as small groups soon turned into droves of worried prey that Zootopia was seeing its end. With no answers or cure for the dreaded condition, a portion of the population, predators and prey alike, had packed up everything and left.

From what Nick could see from the news, the police were spread thin, and he could only catch himself as his thoughts wandered to a certain rabbit and her safety and mental wellbeing. And as time went by, the urge to see her, to forgive her, grew.

* * *

 _August 16th, 20X8_

 _Evening_

 _Savanna Central_

"—No end in sight for the attacks, as rampant panicking and protesting only increases." The leopard news anchor spoke on screen, a stern, distressed look on her face, as if she had not properly slept. "Chief of Police, Pascal Bogo has stated that while the police throughout the city are still on alert and ready to serve and protect, he has called for newly appointed Mayor Bellwether to enlist the help of a privatized military and law-enforcement company in the unlikely event that the protests turn to riots. The injury count for—"

Nick turned off the TV, hearing enough of the conflict that was happening just outside his apartment.

He sighed. He had been spending a lot of time alone in his apartment. It was starting to take its toll. He had hustled less and less, opting to instead spend more time either in his abode. It was that or wander the grounds of his newly acquired airfield, much to the dismay of Finnick, who could only watch as his friend spiraled into a darkness he couldn't pull him out of.

Finnick's attempts to get Nick to open up again were fruitless. Nick hadn't resisted, he just didn't know what to say, or perhaps there was no more to be said. Nick was trapped. Finnick no longer responded to Judy's occasional, yet on schedule, checkup to see how Nick was doing. There was nothing Finnick could say to her that hadn't already been said, and no one had the answer.

Nick took the cherry-stained pawpsicle stick out of his mouth. He rotated it in his fingers, studying it for a moment. Before he met Judy, this pawpsicle routine had always given Nick a reliable source of pride, and most of all, distraction. It was zero risk, it didn't hurt anyone, and most importantly, it was legal, barely. The perfect hustle, a victimless crime. But, as with the SinistraNova job, all Nick felt as he counted his earnings was shame. A frustrating shame that only deepened with each repeat.

He humphed, and threw the stick in the trash.

"I can't do this anymore."

* * *

 _2 Days later_

 _August 18th, 20X8_

 _Noon_

 _Savanna Central_

Finnick pulled his van over to the sidewalk, putting it into park.

"You gonna be OK?" Finnick asked a forlorn-looking Nick. "You want me to get in there with you?"

Nick let out a few deep breaths as he looked up at the stone-themed police precinct. A short pause between them accentuated the tense mood.

"I'll be OK, buddy," Nick said, giving him a weak smile. "Well, time to get this over with!" He swung open the passenger door.

"Wait, Nick."

Nick paused, his foot hanging down to reach the sidewalk.

"You sure you ready?" Finnick asked, worried, "You know what you gonna say?"

Nick looked back to his friend with the same weak smile. "Nope. See you soon, keep the van running."

He hopped out and closed the door, sauntering to the front entrance of the precinct.

 _What_ ** _am_** _I going to say?_ He thought, _You ruined my life? Thanks for that?_ His chest started to hurt, like it was empty. _No… I won't say that…_

He briskly walked up the stairs, mammals of all sizes going in and out of the building. Reaching for the door, he paused again.

 _I don't know what I'm going to say, or how to feel about you carrots._ He thought, his paw and his gaze slowly lowering. _All I know, is that I need to talk to you. I guess we'll see where it goes from there._

He looked back up, his face resolute. He entered the building and marched towards the stout hippo behind the receptionist desk. The hippo turned his attention from another officer handing him some paperwork.

"Mornin', Fox," The hippo spoke in a rough voice. "Help you with something?"

"Officer Hopps," Nick spoke in an unusual blunt tone. "She around? Need to speak with her."

"Hopps?" The hippo looked the fox up and down for a moment, before his eyes went wider. "You, uh… you Mr. Wilde? The guy that helped with the missing mammal case couple months ago?" The hippo leaned forward on the desk, trying to get a better look at Nick.

Nick's expression softened slightly at this. "Yeah, uh… that would be me! So is the bunny cop around?"

"Look, uh," The hippo sat back, scratching the top of his head, an odd expression on his face. "I'll see if I can get ahold of her, let her know you stopped by, but… she ain't here."

"Uh-huh, so where is she?" Nick started to feel cold, light-headed. He didn't like the way the hippo was getting nervous.

"She, uh… she don't work here anymore." The hippo started, carefully looking around the lobby before leaning forward again. "She quit, went back home to the burrows. Left just _yesterday_ …"

Nick felt a sudden pain in his chest, an urge to take in a sharp breath. An urge he attempted to resist, but failed. His ears drooped, and couldn't find words to form a response.

"Sorry there, Mr. Wilde," The hippo looked down at him, sympathetic, seeing him getting upset. "Look, I'll go ask my buddy Ben if he's got her number, maybe you can give her a call, alright?"

Nick looked up at the hippo, but quickly avoided eye contact. He blinked a few times to keep his eyes from watering, staring at the floor, the ceiling, the door, anything.

 _This doesn't…_ he agonized, frantically trying to sort through his thoughts, _doesn't feel real._

"You gonna be alright?" The hippo started to look worried, "Come on, have a seat, I'll get you a bottle of water or somethin'…"

"No!" He replied, louder than he expected, "No… uh— I'll just…" His voice was breaking, the words weren't coming. "Th-thank you."

Nick ran towards the door, his breathing sharp, uncontrollable.

 _So you just_ ** _give up_** _? Go_ ** _home_** _?!_ He screamed in his head, as he shoved the door open, almost hitting a nearby shocked antelope and beaver. "You just pack up and leave? After all _that_?!" He shouted as he made his way down the steps. "You just _hand_ in the badge we- you worked your whole life for?!"

He reached the sidewalk, and stopped. He glared around the plaza, his breathing causing his throat to hurt. Images of Judy flashed in his mind, how she displayed her badge proudly after he protected her from being fired, how happy she was that she had finally earned her place. He looked at the tall city hall building, the water fountain in the plaza, a group of prey nearby, protesting. Not actually processing anything he was seeing, he ran back towards the van.

* * *

 _4 More days later_

 _August 22nd, 20X8_

 _Early Morning_

"So…" Finnick started, unsure what to say. "You just gonna hang around this empty airfield all week?"

"Mm-hmm," Nick hummed simply. "You know I might even go grab a lawn chair and some soda!"

Nick was laying about in some overgrown grass underneath a willow tree, next to what seemed to be a dried-up riverbed. He wore some sunglasses, although he was in the shade.

"Nick, man, I'm serious." Finnick pleaded.

"So am I!" He responded flippantly. "Nice day, wanna enjoy it before the cold season starts up."

Finnick just stared, sighing in defeat. He lifted his arms and let them fall back to his side, and turned away, and started walking down the hill.

"Fin…" Nick said, lifting the sunglasses off his muzzle. "Stop."

Finnick complied, turning around after a few seconds.

"Buddy, I'm sorry." Nick sat up. "I know you're just worried about me…"

Finnick chuckled lightly, "You just know everything then, huh."

Nick returned the laugh, "We just gonna take turns being sarcastic now?" He patted the grass next to himself invitingly.

"That's usually what we end up doin'," Finnick walked over to him and sat with a groan.

The two sat in silence for a moment, the light wind blowing through the willow tree above them. The leaves pattered together softly, a noise so distantly familiar to Nick.

"This why you wanted the airfield back from big boy Kazlov?" Finnick spoke up.

"Kinda," Nick admitted. "This place, it's always been here. Other than the river, this place is the only place in the city that hasn't changed since I was a kid."

Finnick nodded, knowingly. "You think you'll find the answers here? Or do you just come here to escape?"

Nick laid back down in the grass, letting out a big sigh. "No, there _are_ no answers here. This place, it's just… When I'm here, I don't really need answers, you know what I mean?"

"Nah, dude. You gonna need to explain that one." Finnick reclined back into the grass with Nick. They sat for a moment, watching the droopy leaves of the tree sway.

"It's like… this place doesn't change., Nick tried to articulate. "No one comes here, it's like a different world. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to find my place, my home, my friends. And no matter how many times I was rejected, how many times someone hurt me, how many times I was denied something… I could come here. A place where other mammals don't matter, don't exist. And I can just be here, and pretend that I'm the only mammal in the world."

Another silence, Finnick waited to see if Nick would continue.

And he did, "No hustling… no prey, no predators… no Mr. Big—"

"No 'carrots'?" Finnick added. More silence filled in, broken only by the sound of the soft wind and brustling leaves.

"…Yeah," He admitted. "Sometimes, no _me_ either…"

"'Ey, 'ey, don't be all existential on me now," Finnick scoffed.

"No, no, that's not what I meant," He explained. "I can forget that I'm a fox… forget that other mammals only see a fox. I can just pretend that I'm _me_ , nothing shielding the _real_ me from the world."

Finnick furrowed his brow, but kept quiet, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"I don't know how to explain it," Nick relented. "I just feel like I can be OK with who… _what_ I am here, even if no one else is."

"I get you, man." Finnick assured, "I can see why you like this place…"

"You should try it sometime," Nick offered, "Just come here anytime you feel like you need to leave it all behind, even just for a while."

"Heh, yeah, maybe I will…" Finnick said, "But Nick?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"You didn't leave it all behind this time," Finnick grinned. "You brought that one pen the bunny gave you."

Nick reached for his pocket, the thick pen leaving an outline on his khakis. He pulled it out, looking at it, frowning at it.

"Yeah…" Was all he said, as he re-pocketed it.

They sat for a while longer, meditating on the sound of the wind, the distant sounds of the city were so subtle, one could forget they were there.

Finnick sat up, letting out a toothy yawn. "Dude, you gonna fall asleep here, too quiet. I'll, uh— I'll go grab the lawn chair I got in the back of my van. Maybe I go grab you a soda if I feel like it."

Finnick stood up, making his way down the incline.

"Thanks, Fin," Nick said, putting his sunglasses back on. "Thanks for always being here for me, I know I… haven't always done the same for you…"

"Hey, we brothers, man. Always will be."

* * *

 _Late Morning_

 _Sahara Square_

Finnick pulled the earbuds out of his generous ears. He listened, not sure if he had heard something over the sound of his music. Maybe it was just the beat of the song. Maybe something loose in his headphones—

It happened again, a knock, several.

"Ah, crap!" He whispered, looking around for a weapon. "Those fools don't know when to quit." He picked up a bat, and readied himself.

He flung the door open, "Who is it?!" He yelled, threateningly, looking upward, ready to strike. Seeing nothing, he looked down. His expression relaxed as he saw a rabbit. That rabbit. Judy.

"I need to find Nick," she begged, eagerly yet earnestly. "Please."

She pressed her paws together, her eyes held a look of fear, the fear of being turned away.

Finnick sighed, and put down the bat behind the other closed door of his van. "Officer 'Carrots,' haven't seen you in a while. Nick said you up quit, left the city."

"He knew? I-I didn't really… tell anyone," She said, surprised.

"Yeah, we went to the precinct, said you— ah, lemme just give him a call. Sorry, Judy. Wasn't expecting you…"

"Oh, thank you, Finnick," she said, relieved. "Please tell him this is important."

"Mm-hmm, I can't promise nuthin'," he admitted, "Don't know if anything's changed with that guy…"

"I know," she said, her voice wavering. "I have to make things right."

"Don't we all," Finnick motioned for Judy to come into the van as he went to grab his phone. She hopped up and closed the door.

"I'm gonna try my best," he promised, tapping Nick's name in his phone before holding it to his ear. He gestured for Judy to have a seat on his mattress as he sat in his banana chair. "Nick's been… different, since you guys met, since you guys solved that case…"

Judy took a seat, nervous if Nick would agree to see her.

"Nicky," Finnick said into the phone. "Got something for you."

"Yeah?" Judy was able to hear Nick's voice with her sensitive ears. "What's up, big guy?"

The sound of Nick's voice had an odd effect on Judy. She could feel her chest feel tighter, wanting to take in more air than usual. Her eyes started to water. All she could do was stare at Finnick, dreading what would come next.

"Got some cop wantin' to talk to you," Finnick spoke carefully. "Judy's back in town."

There was silence on the other end. Finnick look back at Judy, noticing the taut, emotional look on her face.

"Tell her where to find me…" he said, his voice sounding dry. Finnick's phone beeped, indicating Nick had hung up.

Finnick pulled the phone away from his ear, sighing as he tapped away on it.

"It's up to you now," he said, cautiously hopeful. "I'll send you the map to where he's at."

Judy, optimistic yet still full of emotion, stood up. "Thanks, I really appreciate this!"

"And Judy," Finnick said as she hopped out the back door. He waited until she turned to face him again. "Good luck."

* * *

Nick sighed, looking at his phone. It had been 15 minutes since Finnick had called, saying Judy was looking for him.

His heart was beating, emotions all fighting to be heard, and he wasn't sure which one was right, if _any_ of them were right. He was mad, he wanted to yell at her, hurt her, like he did after she spoke at the press conference. He was scared, he wanted to hide somewhere until she left. He missed her, he wanted to forgive her, and pick up their friendship where they had left off. He was hurt, he wanted her to beg him to forgive her, although he didn't know if he would trust her anymore. He was all of these things, all at once.

So he just sat there, drinking the soda that Finnick had grabbed for him earlier, sitting in the sunlight, in a dried-up river bed, in the middle of an airfield that had been abandoned for decades. His airfield.

"Nick?" A familiar voice, called in the distance. The sound of her voice made a cocktail of feelings rise within him. His breath quickened, he grew nervous, afraid, and frustrated.

He couldn't think, he wanted to run, but he wanted her to find him. So he waited. She had tracked him down before, she could find him again.

"Nick?" The voice called again, closer. "Nick!" Above him now. "Oh, Nick." She called down to him, relief in her voice. He took a sip from his soda, pretending not to hear her.

"Night Howlers aren't wolves," she started urgently, rushing down to him. "They're toxic flowers!"

 _That's why she's here…_ His heart sank. _She just needs my help again…?_

"I think someone is targeting predators on purpose," She explained, trying to get him to look at her. "And making them go savage."

 _So that's it then…_ he sighed internally, putting down his soda. _I should've known better…_

"Wow," he said, sarcasm and indifference disguising his hurt. He stood and took off his sunglasses. "Isn't that interesting?" He dropped the glasses onto an upturned bucket in front of him. He started walking underneath the bridge, retreating.

 _I'm done,_ he thought. He suddenly felt desperate about what other place he could go, anywhere. Maybe he should just leave Zootopia for good. This city — no matter how hard he tried to find happiness, find his place, find anything that made sense— would just pull it all away from his grasp. Anywhere was better than here.

"Wha—w—wait!" She stammered. "Wait, listen I jus— I know you'll never forgive me! And I **don't** blame you." She pleaded, her voice full of fear. "I wouldn't forgive me either."

Nick stopped.

"I was ignorant, and irresponsible, and small minded."

 _Judy…_ her name echoed in his mind.

"But predators shouldn't have to suffer for my mistakes… I have to fix this."

 _You always keep trying…_

"But I can't do it without you."

 _Even when no one believes in you._

"And after we're done…" Her voice was failing, emotion overtaking her. "You can _hate_ me… and that'll be fine."

 _Just when I thought you had given up._

"—Because I was a _horrible_ friend…"

 _You were still my friend, carrots._

"And I hurt you—"

 _I let you hurt me._

"And you—" Judy sobbed harder, struggling to speak. "And you can walk _away_ knowing that you were **right** , all along."

 _I don't_ ** _want_** _to be right._

"I really _am_ just a dumb bunny!"

Silence fell over them, Nick felt the pen in his pocket as he blinked his eyes to clear them of moisture. He ran his paw over the pen, feeling the seam of the plastic root, the indent of its button, the smooth green leafy top. He had heard enough.

"I really _am_ just a dumb bunny!" A tinny version of Judy played from the pen.

 _I finally learned how to use this thing_ , he thought, grinning to himself.

He looped it back and played it again, holding it in the air, proudly showing his mastery of the single-button contraption. "I really _am_ just a dumb bunny!"

He turned around, finally able to look at Judy again. It had been so long. "Don't worry, carrots. I'll let you erase it…" A crushing weight was lifted from Nick, as he muttered his mimicking sarcasm, "…In 48 hours."

Judy giggled between her sobs, a relieved smile replacing her sorrowful expression.

 _There's that smile_ , Judy's goofy grin warmed him.

"All right, get in here," He said, holding out his arms in an embrace as Judy lumbered forward, her eyes closed, it was apparent that the same weight Nick had carried for the last few months was lifted from her as well.

Judy plopped her forehead against Nick's awaiting chest, as she continued sobbing happily.

"OK," he said, embracing her comfortingly. "Oh, you bunnies are so emotional." He slowly pattered her on the head as she half-sobbed, half-laughed into his arms, sniffing her stuffed nose. "There we go, deep breath." He coached.

 _I missed you, carrots_ , he thought, relief from the tension and their contact warming each other. Judy's fur was soft under his paws; he subconsciously brought his tail toward her, desperately wanting more of the contact.

"A—are you just trying to steal the pen?" He teased, holding up the piece of orange technology out of her reach. "Is that what this is?"

Still sobbing happily, she humored him, lackadaisically reaching for the pen.

The realization came suddenly. "You _are_ standing on my tail though…" The slight pain making him aware, growing more as she leaned into his embrace. "Off, off-off—" he urged.

"Oh— I'm sorry!" She hopped back quickly.

Nick let out a soft laugh, "So much for that moment."

Judy returned the laugh, her ears raising, wiping the last bit of tears from her cheeks. "So I see you kept the pen," she said, giving him another sheepish smile.

"Uh-huh," he said, "You think I'm gonna toss it just because we had a wittle disagweement?" He joked, trying to put a lighthearted spin on what had happened. He regretted instantly as he watched Judy's smile falter, her ears resuming their lowered position.

"Nick…" Judy said, her eyes threatening to tear up all over again. "I really am sorry. I didn't—"

"Shush, shh-shh-shh," he insisted, patting her tenderly on the head, "We already did that part, OK?"

Judy simply looked up at him, her smile slowly returning.

"Now, what do you say we go be cops again, save the city?" Nick suggested with an encouraging smile. "You don't want me posting this recording on the internet, do you?" He brandished the carrot pen once more.

Judy's ears rose once again to full attention, a fact that did not go unnoticed. "Come on, Nick," she started climbing the bank of the river, "I'll drive us again."

Nick smiled as he followed the rabbit. The incredible feeling of warmth, relief, and contentment, among many other feelings, bathed him as he watched his redeemed friend lead him to a peculiar-looking truck.

"Uh… huh…" he said, stopping to stare quizzically at the vehicle. The truck's dirty side read 'Hopps Family Farm' in a whimsical font, and the front grill held a peculiar ornament. Two metallic plates, placed there to give the truck a buck-toothed mouth.

"What?" Judy turned around, confused. She looked at the truck, then returned her view to Nick, an amused look on her face. "Oh, just get in!"


	13. Whatever lay behind

_August 22nd, 20X8_

 _Before Noon_

 _Savanna Central_

"Uh-huh," Nick said matter-of-factly, still chewing on the delicious blueberries. "I told you; I know everybody. He's actually nearby. When you get to the road, take a right."

"You know where he is _right now?_ " Judy questioned, though she had learned at this point that the fox was still full of surprises. She was too relieved from the catharsis of reunion to give it much thought. "You keep tabs on every mammal in Zootopia then?" She teased.

"Shh," he urged, humoring her, "Don't let that get out, you'd be surprised how upset everyone would be if they found out I hid tracking devices in my pawpsicles." Judy shot him an amused sideways glance, "Really though, I know he lives _around_ here, he usually sells some bootleg stuff near the corner from his… 'apartment.'"

"Gotcha," she said, a smile still plastered on her face.

The two bathed in the glow of their renewed friendship. Nick telling her to turn here or there, leading her to their destination. The smile Judy gave him stirred thoughts within him. He had missed dearly the way she looked at him, the look that gave him confidence without a doubt, that he could do or _be_ anything. If this naive little bunny that came from nowhere could believe in him so strongly, maybe he could believe in himself again. He could fulfill the promise that he had made so long ago.

He marveled at her, only looking away when Judy caught him staring; nothing had changed between them. If anything, their friendship had only deepened further.

* * *

"—And there ain't nuthin' you can do ta make me," the weasel gave a devious grin.

Judy and Nick exchanged an annoyed, yet knowing, look. Judy nodded before turning back to Duke.

"We'll be back, Mr. Weaselton," she said, her voice sweet and confident. The two turned to walk back to their truck. "Good day."

"Yeah, yeah, get lost, you two. I gots business to take care of," He shooed. "But _hey_ , you two ever need a movie for date night, you know where to find me!" He laughed mockingly as they made their way back to their truck parked down the street within eyeshot of the pesky weasel.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking, right?" She said, grinning connivingly at Nick as they rounded the truck. Nick gave her an affirmative smile back, nodding slightly.

 _She's starting to think like me, now,_ he thought.

Judy settled herself into the truck and pulled out her phone.

Nick opened the door to let himself in, "OK, now before you—"

"Hey, Tony!" she said cheerily into the phone, the receiver held back to her large ears.

"— _And_ you're already calling him," Nick smiled, cautiously watching as the bunny eagerly began her less-than-legal scheming with the mob boss. He closed the door, listening in on the conversation.

"Yep, I'm back in town," She said, giving a warming look at Nick. "… Yeah… Yep, I talked to Nick, he's with me now." Nick couldn't quite hear the other side of the conversation, he simply attributed it to Judy's receiver being set to a lower volume, since her ears were much more sensitive than his own. "So, that's why I'm calling actually— we found out what's been happening, I don't think you and your family have anything to worry about anymore!"

 _Was she working with Tony while she and I weren't talking?_ Nick wondered.

"Do you know a weasel named Duke?" She asked, mm-hmm'ing some answers back into the phone. "Great! I'll text you the address, thank you so much, Tony!"

Judy hung up, and tapped a bit at her phone.

"So, you kept in touch with Mr. Big?" Nick asked, skeptical.

"Mm-hmm!" She chimed back, beaming at him, almost boastfully. She finished with her phone and pocketed it. "About a week after the… the press conference." Her smile faded slightly, and she looked away from him. "One of his body guards, a polar bear, went savage and attacked someone. He wanted to know if the rest of his body guards were at risk, he even started sending some away. Most of his security and 'workforce' are predators. He was worried for the safety of his family."

"Makes sense," he said, not really paying attention to what she was saying, more worried about the expression she was making as she fidgeted with the steering wheel.

"I really missed you, fluff..." he admitted, looking away from her, nervous at what her reaction would be.

There was a short pause, Judy let out an embarrassed yet pleased hum. "I missed you, too."

The two looked at each other for a moment. Before Nick looked away again, in thought. He cleared his throat.

"Heh— Mr. Big sending us some backup?" He asked, awkwardly changing the subject.

"Yep, he um, he's sending Kevin and Raymond," she replied, returning to fidgeting. "They're already nearby apparently. They're going to 'collect' Duke and we'll have a chat up at the Moleone Villa."

"Ah," was Nick's only response, unsure of what to say next.

The awkwardness had snuck up on them, neither knowing how to deal with this new barrier between them. So they merely sat in silence, watching, occasionally snickering at Duke's lame attempts to get passersby to give more than a second's thought to buying his ill wares.

A limo eventually pulled up after a short while, and two large polar bears stepped out, walking over to Duke's stand. Nick and Judy took turns making quick remarks as they watched the scene with bated breath. But there was something lingering on Nick's mind. He internally debated to finish the job they had set out to do before asking. But he couldn't. It was a question that had nagged at him, even _before_ the press conference. One detail that needed to be asked, before Nick made his mind up about anything.

"Judy... are you afraid of foxes?" He asked, avoiding looking at her. "Of... _me_?"

"Nick..." she said, gingerly putting a paw on his arm. "Please don't think that, I was being stupid, I—"

" _Are_ you?" He interrupted gently, imposing the question once more. "Just be honest with me. I won't… leave again. I just— I need to know."

Judy dropped her paw, beginning to pick at the flaking leather of the truck's seat with her nails. She closed her eyes, and braced herself.

"While we were... _apart_ , I had a lot of time to think about that," She explained, "And... I am, Nick. I promise, it's nothing personal… not just you." She said carefully, dreading that the words would hurt Nick all over again.

Her words thudded against his chest, as if they had fallen from somewhere on high. He knew what the answer would be, he had prepared himself for it, yet it hurt all the same. But he had resolved not to shut her away again.

"Nick," she pleaded, almost regretting her honesty. "Please don't think—"

"It's OK," Nick interrupted again, giving her a reassuring smile, forcing himself to look at her. "Really, it's OK. I'm sure you have your reasons. You're a rabbit, I guess it kinda goes with the territory."

A knock came at the passenger-side window before Judy could respond. One of the polar bears had come up to the truck while they were distracted with each other. Nick rolled down the window using the old-fashioned crank on the door.

"Kevin! Glad you guys could come out," Nick said politely, hiding his frustration of being interrupted.

"You guys gonna follow? Or do you wanna ride in the limo with us?" The polar bear spoke.

"We'll follow," Nick said, looking to Judy for confirmation.

She nodded, "Yep, right behind you guys." He could tell from her tone she starkly remembered their last ride in that limo with Raymond and Kevin.

The polar bear simply patted the roof of the truck and made his way back to the limo.

Judy started the truck, looking over to Nick. He was deep in thought, and while he pretended he wasn't, Judy could tell, he was hurt. Memories of the day he left her alone, standing in the gaggle of news reporters, flooded back to her mind. And while he promised he wouldn't desert her again, she couldn't help but fear what would become of them after this undertaking.

 _Was_ she still afraid of foxes? Unsure as she was, the sincere apology from Gideon earlier that day had given her a sense of comfort from the long passed misdeed from her childhood.

Yet there it was, the truth laid bare, and nothing could change that. But maybe…

"When I was…" She started, pulling the truck out into the road, and trailing behind the limo. "I think I was about nine years old. I was in a school play, some harvest fair event we had at the time; it was being sponsored by the local big farms, or something…"

Nick watched her recall her younger days as she drove. She occasionally glanced over to him.

" _Anyway_ ," she continued, "In the play, we all declared what we wanted to be when we were older. I told everyone I wanted to be a police officer, it was… a big deal to me, I hadn't really told anyone up to that point. There was a fox there, Gideon Grey, he mocked me, interrupted the whole show just to try and put me down. He was the town jerk, few years older than me and my classmates. After the play, I saw him going after some of my friends behind some game stalls. I followed, figuring he was up to no good…"

Nick smiled at her. Judy had spent so much time, trying to get _him_ to open up, that she had completely forgotten to open up herself. Nick found himself quietly admiring her; even as a child, Judy had a sense of justice, selflessness, and protecting others.

"He was threatening my friends," she explained, "He took their carnival tickets. So, I marched up to him and demanded them back. I had stood up to Gideon before, I was never afraid of him, but that time… he was different, like— like he had something to _prove_. Things got physical. He knocked me down, said I needed to watch out because he was a predator. I kicked him, trying to get him to back off. But he came back, attacked me." Judy rubbed her cheek, the memory of the scar, the pain, coming back to her. "He scratched me. He held me down, and… told me to remember that moment."

"Judy…" Nick said consolingly, using her real name. "I had no idea."

She gave him a weak smile. "Happened a long time ago, but um… I guess I never realized that what happened that day really stuck with me."

Silence fell, only the sound of the truck's vibrating engine filling the cab. They were waiting behind the limo at a red light, about to head onto the Interdistrict highway to Tundra Town.

"If there's one thing I've learned," Nick started, after a period of silence. "Is that you can't change what happened to you. You can't really change what you're afraid of either…" Nick's thoughts drifted to the handkerchief in his pocket.

 _I promise, mom_ , he thought, _I'll keep trying._

"My mom taught me," Nick continued, "No matter what happens, no matter who hurts you, to never give up… We'll work through this together, alright?"

Judy didn't speak, she merely let out a pleased hum. Nick watched as her ears slowly turned red. She flashed a warm smile at him, a smile that became increasingly valuable to Nick.

"Carrots, I'm glad you told me," Nick said, comfortingly, mirroring what she had said to him after he had opened up to her. It seemed strangely like an eternity ago. "I won't leave you hanging again. I'll try to remember that you aren't really Robocop." He mocked teasingly.

Judy gave him another warming smile, any fears she had of him shutting her away again vanished.

"Thank you, Nick," She said, before turning her attention back to the now green light. "I can't do this without you."

* * *

"Get outta here, weasel," Mr. Big dismissed, the polar bear put Duke down, and closed the ice pool beneath the floor. "And don't _ever_ call me a dirty rat, I won't tell you again."

"Ah, o-of course," Duke managed, shaken, his demeanor going from feisty to repentant all too quickly. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Big boss sir— won't happen again. I'll just let myself out, yeah?" He hastily made his retreat from the room.

Mr. Big turned his attention back to Judy, "So I hear—"

Duke suddenly poked his head back into view from the door way. "There any chance I can get a ride back to where ya picked me up from because—"

The mafia don only raised an eyebrow at the interruption.

"—Ah— Walking it is, I'll just uh…" Duke stammered as he quickly disappeared from view again.

There was a pause, Tony gestured to one of the polar bears to close the door to prevent further interruption.

"So tell me, my dear," Tony turned back to the rabbit. "What are these night howlers?"

"Yeah!" Fru-fru piped up, intrigued, "You tell us we don't gotta worry about anyone goin' savage anymore?"

"Tony," Judy said, "you said Emmett was your florist right?"

"One of the best in the city," Tony confirmed.

"While he was on the way to see you," Judy said, starting to get the thoughtful look in her eye, Nick took notice of the rigidness of her ears. "He must've been attacked by someone, and they made him ingest a night howler or something, we don't really know the method of administration… _but_ I think someone is purposefully trying to scare you and your family."

"Really?" Tony replied, concerned, "Do you have any inklings of who could be responsible?"

"We don't really know who yet," Judy admitted, "But why else would they have Mr. Otterton drugged _on his way_ here? They also got one of your guards, the one you called me about a week after we arrested Lionheart. Two mammals directly linked to you, going savage."

"So you sayin'…" Fru-fru started, "There's someone out there tryin' to scare dad and us?"

"Hmm, no, not just you…" Judy put a paw finger up to her lips, "You're a very powerful figure here in Zootopia, I think whoever is doing this is trying to stir up trouble with fear. The entire _city_. The only way to find out _who_ is to follow this new lead from Weaselton."

"That's _if_ he wasn't lying," Nick piped up, sipping the last of his espresso, handing the empty cup and saucer to the bear standing behind him.

"No one lies when I ask them a question, Nicky," Mr. Big said, eyeing Nick, giving him a knowing yet crooked smile. "No one that knows what's good for them. _You_ should know that more than anyone, kid." Mr. Big let out a small laugh, sending a chill through Nick's spine.

"Right," Nick affirmed, nervously. "Then we better get out there, no telling how much time we have. This Doug might already know we picked up one of his sources."

"True," Judy nodded, "But if we find Doug, we'll probably find out how they've been exposing the mammals that went savage. And we might even—" Judy beamed at Nick, "We might even find out how they drugged Mr. Otterton!"

" _And_ ," Nick added, watching the sparkle in Judy's eye, "If we find whoever's making this night howler drug, we can find out _how_ it's made, that means…" he paused to let Judy finish for him.

"We'll probably be able to get what we need to find a cure!" She finished for him.

"Bingo!" He approved, smiling back at her.

"See? Nick, I told you I couldn't do this without you!" Judy said excitedly, then looked to Tony, "Thank you again for your help, Tony, we won't forget this!"

"Don't mention it," Tony waved a paw, "Best of luck to both of you. If things get dangerous, give me a call. And please let me know what you find."

"We will," Judy nodded respectfully at Tony, then turned to Nick. "C'mon!" She took him by the arm and lead him out of the room, one of the polar bears opening the door for them.

Tony and Fru-fru sat for a moment, listening to the rabbit and fox chat about what they would find as they left the mansion.

"Oh, I'm so happy to see Judy again." Fru-fru said to her father, "She looks so much more like herself than the last time she was here."

"That she does," Tony agreed, nodding knowingly, "Seems our old friend Nicky's at it again. Hopefully he's learned since the last time."

Fru-fru gasped, covering her mouth. "Daddy! You're not saying…"

Her father simply let out a chuckle, shacking his head. "Honey, I've been around long enough, and I've learned a thing or two in my years. The way our friend Nicky looks at Judy," Tony pointed towards his own eyes. "The eyes tell the stories, when you learn to watch them like I have…" Tony let out another titter, smiling warmly at his curious daughter. "But, only time will tell. Eyes may tell the stories, but time tells the truth."

* * *

 _Noon_

Nick pulled out the serum ball from the weapon.

"What're you—?" Judy questioned, the pain from her carefully wrapped leg still apparent on her face. A look of sudden realization replaced it. "Oh! Nick that's—!"

"Shh, shh, how're those acting skills you told me about?" He whispered, putting a finger up to remind her to be quiet. He picked up a few of the blueberries that had fallen on the floor and loaded them into the weapon, a perfect fit. Bellwether started to rant in the background. "I need you to just follow my lead and get her to talk, see if you can record something incriminating. Got it? Whatever I do, just improvise."

Judy gasped slightly in pain, but managed to give him a thumbs-up. "Yeah, got it."

"Good," Nick said, taking out the carrot pen, "Here, in case you need something to record with." He slid it into her pocket. Nick spent a moment, watching Judy's smile appear, the smile that Nick so coveted. Even in a time like this, in such a dire situation, he could feel his old confidence return in full.

Nick forced himself back into the real world; they were running out of time. He quietly grabbed a nearby effigy of a Stone Age rabbit. Setting it into place, its shadow casting on the wall behind them. "Whatever happens, I need you to trust me. And I know you're scared of me but—"

"No," Judy groaned as Nick propped her up, helping her walk. Bellwether continued to squawk her monologue as they moved quietly towards the exit back to the main hall. "I'm not scared anymore, Nick. I trust you with my life."

Nick paused for a moment, watching as Judy smiled up at him sincerely. He would need his nerve now more than ever, and, thanks to this little bunny that came from nowhere, he had it, absolutely, 100%.

The shout from a sheep echoed through the exhibit room, but cut short, indicating that they had found the fake rabbit.

"Showtime," Nick led, breaking into a run, Judy and briefcase in tow.

Judy knew with one look at the determined, confident, handsome fox, that they would be able to handle whatever lay ahead… _and_ behind.


	14. Pork Fiction

_August 22nd, 20X8_

 _Afternoon_

 _Savanna Central_

"You're lucky you don't have a fractured rib," The antelope paramedic said, finished with her examination of Nick, who was sitting on the rear bumper of an ambulance, its rear doors open. "Some minor bruising on your right arm, although that doesn't seem to be from the impact of the Ram you said hit you. Did you hit anything when you fell into the exhibit pit?"

Nick rubbed the bruise on his arm, recalling the 'playful' punch from Judy that had taken him by surprise. "Um, I might've hit one of the rocks when we fell in, I was trying to protect carr— er, Officer Hopps."

"OK, well nothing else seems to be missing. How's the pain?"

"I'm fine," he assured, looking over to the ambulance where Judy was receiving stitches on her leg. The scene was reminiscent of the arrest made at the Cliffside facility: high profile, police cruisers everywhere, though there were fewer medical vehicles. The buffalo police chief was making his way over, after personally escorting the now surely _ex_ -mayor Bellwether to a police cruiser.

"Give us a moment please?" The buffalo said politely to the paramedic.

"Oh, of course, Chief," The antelope excused herself, hopping up into the ambulance, making her way to the front cab.

The Chief took a seat in the open ambulance next to Nick, causing the ambulance to shift.

"That's two," The buffalo spoke, giving a sideways grin down to Nick. " _Two_ mayors that you and Officer Hopps have arrested, Fox."

"How is she?" Nick asked, "Hopps— is she OK?"

"She's tough for a bunny, she won't be needing to stay in the hospital, but she'll be limping for a week or two."

Satisfied with the answer, Nick sat silent.

"Suppose I should stop calling you 'Fox' then, shall I?" The buffalo spoke. "The name's Bogo. Hopps spoke a lot about you, Wilde."

Nick let out a short laugh, "Did she now?" He searched for something funny to say, a quick jab about himself. But nothing came, he simply couldn't imagine Judy saying anything bad about him.

"She wanted you to be her partner," Bogo stated, "I won't get involved in whatever happened with the two of you. But that fighting spirit she has, that annoying perseverance you no doubt are accustomed to… It dimmed when you both went your separate ways."

Nick felt a pang of guilt. Did she really give up her badge because of him? After what she had said, he wanted to hurt her, get back at her. But not like this, in fact, he had forgotten exactly why he wanted to hurt her in the first place. Their friendship, now amended, meant everything to Nick.

The two sat for a moment, watching the other police, medical professionals, and newly-arriving press wander around with importance.

"I think she has something to give you," Bogo finally said, getting up, the ambulance leveling to account for the now-lifted weight. "I've given her the month off to recover, should give the two of you enough time to sort things out."

 _A month off? But she quit…_ he thought. "So that means…?"

Bogo let out a gruff laugh, "This city needs good cops, Wilde. It would be irresponsible to let one… or _two_ go because of a misunderstanding." Bogo looked at Nick with a raised eyebrow, as if to hint at something. He turned and walked away, leaving Nick to think on what he said.

 _Sort things out?_ Nick thought, recalling the odd wording that Bogo used. _Me and carrots already have things sorted, what does he—_ it dawned on him, embarrassment quickly causing his face to warm. He tittered, rubbing his eyes with a paw, _Oh Nicky, looks like everyone already knows, not as sneaky as you used to be…_

Nick sat for a moment, waiting to see if Judy would emerge from the other ambulance. After a short while, she did, and Nick briskly made his way over to her. Did _Judy_ know? Was he really that easy to read? Although, a more important question was: did she feel that way about him?

"Nick!" Her face brightened, she sat out of the rear of the ambulance, "You doing OK?"

Nick laughed, "I should be asking you that, apparently _I_ only have a bruise." He rubbed his arm, as if to remind her that she was the one who had given it to him.

"Well, they're going to take me to go get some crutches my size," she explained, "I'll need them for about three days to keep the pressure off my leg. But I don't need to spend any time in a hospital, which is a relief."

"I have a hard time picturing you in a hospital bed," he hopped up and sat down next to her. "Can't keep Zootopia's best cop down for long." He patted her on the shoulder with the back of his paw.

Judy scrunched her nose at him, amused by his blatantly flattering, yet sincere compliment. Both fell silent, both unsure what to say next. Both knew what needed to be said, to be asked.

"It's over, isn't it?" Judy finally asked, watching the cruiser that contained Bellwether pulling away. "I— we did it. We saved the city…"

"We did," Nick said, nodding. "Like I said, 'Zootopia's best'."

"So, um…" Judy said, looking at Nick, almost expectantly, her ears pointed at Nick. "I think we're getting ready to leave. I guess I'll… see you around?"

Nick looked at Judy; she was the one to ask. Nick raced through his thoughts, what reason could he use to talk to her again? He wasn't really ready to say goodbye just yet, he wasn't ready to go home, alone. But what could he say? It was getting late, surely he'd see her again. Strange questions ran through his head, as Judy sat, waiting for his answer. He finally made a decision, he would at least ask for her phone number.

"Carrots," he said, nervously, "I— I should get your—"

"Excuse me, you two," a cheetah paramedic who had been speaking with the other officers interrupted, "Don't mean to break in to your chat, but are you a friend?" The cheetah directed his attention to Nick. "If you like, you can ride in the back with Officer Hopps, we're going down to the hospital to get her some small-sized crutches."

Judy resumed looking at Nick expectantly, a fact he seemed to pick up on. "Umm," He thought, before looking back to the paramedic, "Yeah, of course. Are we leaving now?"

That seemed to be the answer Judy was looking for.

"Perfect," The cheetah said, "Not to put you on the spot, but she can't put pressure on that leg, so I'd feel better if she didn't try to drive herself tonight."

Nick put his paws in his pockets, pleased that he'd be able to spend some more time with Judy, a fact that seemed mutual.

"Of course," Nick agreed. "I'll take care of her, lead the way."

The cheetah nodded, and turned his attention to Judy. "Alright, let's get you up."

Judy did her best to stand up. The cheetah, however, was large enough to just pick her up, which he did so after a visual confirmation from his patient. The cheetah gestured for Nick to come into the ambulance and follow, which he did.

Pulling down a pair of small-sized seats that were embedded into the wall of the ambulance, the paramedic set Judy down into the seat and pulled a seat belt around her. Then turned his attention to Nick, offering the seat next to her, which he took.

"OK, you two," The paramedic said, "All set, let either of us know if you need anything." He gestured to another paramedic, a hippo, sitting up front in the driver's seat.

The cheetah quickly hopped out the open rear of the vehicle and shut the doors from the outside, shortly re-appearing after letting himself into the passenger door.

"Thank you," Judy said, grinning up at Nick, "For coming with me."

"Just because our little adventure is over doesn't mean our friendship is," Nick assured, returning the warm expression. The ambulance rumbled to life, and started moving forward. "But I guess now we'll have to find some other things to do together. You realize whenever we've spent time together we've been saving the city."

"Hah," Judy scoffed, "That's true." She then looked away from him, ears lowering.

"What you said earlier," Nick said, nudging her gently with his forearm. "'After we're done?'"

"'You can hate me'…" Judy recited.

Nick chuckled, "While I appreciate the offer, carrots, I figure um… we could watch Star Boars instead. Yeah? Remember my promise?"

Judy's ears perked up again, while she wasn't worried that Nick would hate her at this point, she was grateful for the reassurance. "I remember. 'Best place to watch movies in the city.'"

* * *

"Keep your weight _off_ the leg for at least three days," The pangolin doctor recited for what seemed like the tenth time, "Call that number I gave you if you notice any swelling, bleeding or heat at the wound site. Keep those bandages dry and tight, if they get _too_ tight, you can have Nick help you loosen them. That prescription is for antibiotics, follow the instructions on the bottle and do _not_ stop taking them until they are gone, understood?"

"Got it," Judy said. While she appreciated the care she was receiving, she was becoming bored with the repeated explanations by each of the medical professionals. The two were sitting in an ER hallway, Judy's new crutches freshly adjusted to her height.

"Great," the pangolin nodded, "Now if your friend here doesn't mind, I recommend someone looking after you at least until the morning."

"Oh, um," Judy said, not entirely sure if Nick would be willing.

"Won't be a problem," Nick nodded, winking at Judy. "I'll make sure she takes her meds." He teased.

The doctor nodded, and looked over his paperwork. "Looks like we're all set then, Officer Hopps."

The doctor and his patient said their goodbyes, then left, leaving the two to themselves.

"So!" Judy said, using her new crutches to get to her feet, "Don't suppose you want to watch some movies tonight, then?"

"Ehh, can't really take you to the 'best place' like I promised, but I guess we'll need something to do, right?"

Nick then realized how quick he had been to jump at the chance of spending the night with Judy. Just earlier that day, he was so unsure if he even wanted to see her, now he was all to eager to spend time with her.

They made their way to the exit, daylight starting to dim slightly into the later hours of dusk. Judy had made a quick call to her parents to let them know she was alright. It took some time, considering all they had heard so far were vague news reports of an injured officer and a train derailment and explosion. Eventually, they were satisfied that she was safe, though she was grateful they had forgotten to ask about the truck she had borrowed. It was still parked in the industrial zone. Illegally.

"Do you, um," Judy started, "I suppose I have a few questions. One is how we're getting anywhere—"

"Already requested a ZUber a while ago, should be waiting for us outside," Nick said smugly, flashing his phone at her.

Judy hummed her usual hum at him, "Second, I suppose we should go back to my place?"

"Up to you," Nick said, "But do you still have a place? I, uh… I thought you left the city."

"I _did_ ," she admitted, still getting used to her crutches as they made their way out the automatic doors of the exit. "But I have a six month lease, and I pretty much left unprepared… I left everything in my apartment thinking I would just come back for it later…"

 _I'm glad you didn't leave for good, carrots_ , he kept his thoughts to himself.

"Guess I get to see the little bunny burrow away from the Bunnyburrow then." He teased, watching for the ZUber he had requested earlier. Spotting it, he pointed it out to Judy.

They continued to make small talk, enjoying each others' company. They tried their best to forget the excitement of their adventure earlier in the day, considering themselves lucky to scrape by with only one of them having a minor injury.

* * *

 _Evening_

"Wait, you've seen Robocop, but you've never seen the original Star Boars?" Nick said, almost offended.

"I think you just assume I haven't watched _any_ movies," She responded playfully. "I've seen my share of movies growing up."

"Well, OK," Nick said, "there's still a bunch of movies I get to watch you see for the first time."

The two stood in the elevator of Judy's apartment building, waiting for it to slowly make its way to the proper floor. Nick carried two duffle bags of belongings he had grabbed when they stopped by his place, as he would need some changes of clothes for the sleepover. She had nothing to watch movies on other than her tiny phone, so Nick had also grabbed his YakBook.

Nick imagined what Judy's apartment would look like. He chuckled as he imagined a pink door, with a lavish welcome sign, and a basket of free carrots beneath it.

"What're you laughing about?" Judy said, obviously still not used to walking with crutches.

"Oh, nothing," Nick lied, just as the elevator doors opened. They started to step out, Nick holding his arm across the elevator doors so they wouldn't close while Judy made her way out in her crutches.

"You sure you don't need anything else from your place?" Judy asked again.

"I'm only staying one night, carrots," Nick said, quickly catching himself as he was about to make a joke about him moving in. The two made their way down the hallway, the aging wooden floor creaking slightly as they walked.

"Are you sure you don't mind staying over, Nick?" Judy asked, worried that she had imposed too much on him too soon.

"Carrots, if I minded I wouldn't be excited about the movies we're going to watch," Nick reassured, "Although I am worried what we'll be doing for food."

"Could order pizza?" She offered, both of them reaching her door.

Nick kept walking a few steps, not realizing that the plain-looking door belonged to Judy's apartment. He found himself slightly disappointed that it was nothing like he expected, although he soon felt silly for actually expecting such a silly sight.

"Well, we're here," Judy said, digging in her jeans' pocket for her keys. "Don't say I didn't warn you, this apartment was all I could afford before I started my Police position."

"I'm sure it's fine," Nick said. Having lived in the city his whole life, he'd seen it before. Finnick had lived in his van for the past few months after all. "You worry about impressing me too much." He nudged Judy with an elbow as she pushed open the unlocked door.

Judy hobbled her way into the apartment, "Well? Home sweet home!"

Nick set down his duffel bags, completely unfazed by the tiny apartment. "Yep, size doesn't surprise me, although your interior decorating skills could use some work."

Judy laughed, as she set her crutches against her desk and hopped one-legged over to her bed to have a seat.

"Haven't really had the chance to decorate yet," she admitted, watching as Nick looked around at what little her apartment contained.

"You've been living here for three months, haven't you?" Nick asked, looking at the pictures of Judy's family on her desk.

"Yeah…" Judy said in a forlorn tone, not really wanting to bring up the time they spent apart.

Nick realized what he had asked, and watched as Judy's ears fell flush.

"Hey," Nick started, "Don't give me that face, OK?" He walked over to her and sat down beside her. "We made up, right? No need to get all emotional again."

Judy sat for a bit, then gave a smile to her friend. "Yeah." She finally agreed.

"What did you do while… while we were apart?" Nick asked, "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just tried to keep my mind off of things, work was pretty busy, with the protests. We had our hands full with the attacks. Nothing I couldn't handle, of course, but, I got by. Tony asked me to come by, like I said with his body guard going savage; he wanted some reassurance that his other um… 'employees' wouldn't go savage… something I couldn't give him at the time."

Nick hummed at her. Another pause.

"What about you?" She asked, "Heard you and Finnick went up north, Nova Ferocia. Do anything cool up there?"

 _Yeah, I did a little corporate espionage and used the information to blackmail a big pharmaceutical company,_ he thought.

"You know me," he said, keeping his thoughts to himself. "They were having a ice cream and popsicle convention up there, business mammal that I am. Can't pass up that kind of opportunity."

The two laughed at the obvious lie.

"Seriously, Nick," Judy said, punching him the arm, albeit much softer than the punch that left him with a bruise earlier in the day. "What'd you do without me?"

"Hmm…" He hesitated, not sure how much he wanted to tell her about how miserable he was. He stood up from the bed and walked over to his bag to get his computer. "How about we watch something? You wanna start with a classic or a newer movie?"

"Oh, come _on_!" Judy pleaded, not falling for the thinly disguised deflection, "Just tell me."

"Judy…" he sighed. "We can talk more about that stuff later. Promise. Let's order some food and get a movie going, OK?"

Judy watched him for a moment.

"OK, fine." Judy relented, not wanting to push him too hard. He would open up to her, he had done it before, he just needed time. "I wanna watch that one cheesy movie with the mafia guys."

Nick chuckled, "You'll have to be more specific than that, you just described like 80 movies."

"The one we talked about, with that one leopard actor? What's his name…" Judy said, thinking, waving her paw around, "He was a Jedi in the Star Boars film… "

"Samuel L. Scratchson?"

"Yeah, him!" Judy nodded enthusiastically.

"Ohh, you're talking about _that movie_.," Nick said knowingly, proud of her for the good choice. "I have to warn you, carrots, that movie can be a _little_ … mature. Guy gets shot in the head on _accident_ by John Tracolta, Mafia boss gets held gun point and forced to… uh…—"

"I can take it!" Judy scoffed playfully, "I'm a full-grown rabbit."

Nick could feel himself get hot at that statement, not really understanding why. Maybe it was the way she said it.

"Right, of course you are," Nick teased, shrugging off the feeling.

He stood up with his YakBook in hand and plopped it on the bed next to Judy.

"OK," Nick said excitedly, "Pork Fiction it is."

"Oh boy," Judy said, scooting herself back on the bed to make room for Nick to sit next to her. "Can't wait to take my mind off the excitement earlier by watching crime drama."

"Uhh," Nick said in thought, "It's not exactly drama. Then again I don't really know _what_ genre this movie falls into."

"Oh, whatever, Nick," Judy said dismissively, noticing Nick had not yet sit down on the bed. "Will you relax already? I'm not going to bite you." She playfully clacked her rabbity teeth at him, while patting a spot for him.

Nick looked around the bed as he settled on to it, and then noticed a bunch of plushies around the head of the bed.

"Hey," He said, reaching for the fox plush, with a familiar sticker on its front.

Judy hmm'ed, wondering what he was grabbing. Her ears flushed when she found him holding the fox plush she had bought. He felt over the Jr. Police sticker with his padded finger.

"Oh, that's—" Judy stammered, not exactly sure how to explain, "That's—"

Nick laughed heartily, "Oh, you're so cute when you're embarrassed." He watched how her skin on the insides of her upward pointing ears were turning red. She quickly noticed where he was staring and let her ears fall. "Carrots, don't be embarrassed, this'll be our little secret." He teased, pointing at the sticker.

Judy went quiet. She wanted to reach out and snatch it from him, and pretend nothing had happened. But he had already seen it, there was no undoing that. It was obvious Nick was trying to downplay the confusing situation for her benefit, a fact that she was grateful for.

"Hey, hey," Nick consoled, noticing Judy was trapped, "It's OK, he can keep the sticker." He placed the fox back with its other rabbit plush friends.

Nick laid down on his stomach and opened his YakBook, the light of it illuminating his face as the dim light from the setting sun outside faded further.

Judy sat cross-legged as she watched Nick tap away at his computer. There was something about Nick that made her feel that she didn't need to let things get awkward, so the embarrassment faded. She let another moment of silence fall before she started to speak. "Nick, when you left after the press conference. I didn't know… I couldn't…" She sighed in frustration, not knowing how to continue her explanation.

"I was miserable too, Judy," Nick admitted quietly, still looking at his computer screen. "You wanted to know what I did while we were apart…?"

"If you really don't want to talk about it, I won't push you. Apparently it was a tough time for both of us, huh?"

Nick let out a weak smile and tittered, "Yeah, looks like it." He turned his attention back to his computer, moving his padded finger over the touchpad. Not really clicking on anything, only absent-mindedly playing with the mouse cursor. "You really quit then?"

Judy sighed again, "Mm-hmm, I had been thinking about it about a month before I did it… I guess the final straw— what made me finally go through with it… They asked me to be the face of the ZPD, literally. Even had my face on some promotional photos. They were going to put my face _everywhere_." She chuckled weakly, "You know, if you told my younger self that within three months of becoming an officer that I was being made the poster child of the Zootopia Police Department, I probably would have leapt into orbit out of excitement."

Nick grinned at the thought, Judy was almost a being of pure excitable energy. He could completely believe she would be the first mammal to reach space with no technological assistance. He started laughing.

"Nick!" She scolded, almost laughing herself, "I'm pouring my heart out for you!"

"I know— I know, I'm sorry!" He continued laughing harder, trying to explain himself, "I just pictured you actually jumping into space just from— just from being too excited."

Nick's laugh was contagious, Judy slowly joined him. Nick rolled away from Judy, trying to move onto his back, but quickly realized that if he continued that he would fall off the bed. Something he realized too late. His eyes grew wide as he fell from Judy's sight and thudded to the floor, still laughing the entire way down.

Judy leapt forward, still laughing, to see Nick laying on his back on the floor, also still laughing. "Nick! Are you— you OK?"

"I'm— I'm fine," the strength of his laughter caused his abdomen to hurt, he started rubbing his sides. "I guess I just wasn't excited enough to stay in _orbit!_ " He cackled, his back arched from the cramping in his sides.

"Oh, come on!" Judy managed to say, about to step onto the floor to help Nick up, before remembering that her leg was too injured for that. Judy continued to laugh, but not nearly as hard as Nick was. "Get up, let's watch the movie already!"

"I can't, I _can't_ ," Nick managed, "I'm _dying_."

"Oh my gosh," Judy rolled her eyes, her laughter starting to subside. "It wasn't _that_ funny."

Nick continued laughing for a while longer, Judy had stopped long before he did. She merely laid on her stomach, watching Nick laugh on the floor, smiling warmly at him.

 _I'm so happy you forgave me, Nick._ Judy thought contentedly, _I don't know what I would've done if…_

"Nick?" Judy said after the laughter had died down.

"Mm-hmm?" Nick said, grinning back up at her.

The two starred at each other for a moment, both giving each other a content look.

"Can you start the movie?" She finally said, "It's starting to get dark and your laptop went to sleep."

Nick simply hummed at her, and struggled to his feet, his sides felt like he had just worked out. Judy scooted back, careful not to bump her injured leg and sat cross-legged again as Nick laid back down on the bed.

"OK," Nick said, still recovering. He woke his laptop. "Get ready for one of the best movies of the century."

* * *

 _3 Hours later_

 _Night_

Nick closed his laptop, and grinned at the Rabbit next to him, who had at some point in the movie, laid down on her stomach to be closer to the laptop.

Nick stood and stretched, then moving the laptop from the bed to her desk. He tossed an empty box from the pizza they had ordered halfway into the movie into the trash.

"So?" Nick asked, "What did you think? You speechless?"

"Wha— wait." She replied, confused, "Was that it?"

Nick chuckled, knowingly, "What do you mean, ' _it_ '?" He said in a teasing tone, "The movie was three hours long."

"It's been three hours…?" She said, suddenly realizing what time it was. "But wait, what was in the case?"

"What was in the case wasn't important," He grinned at her and began taking some pillows and blankets out of one of his duffel bags.

"What do you mean it wasn't important?" Judy scoffed, "The whole movie was about the case. They killed over it!" Judy watched as Nick laid a blanket on the floor next to her bed.

"True, but like I said, the contents aren't important." Nick explained, "The movie was about what was _outside_ the case— the characters, the circumstance, how they interacted with each other. _That_ was the story, not the prop. At least, that's my interpretation of it."

"They made a three hour movie about a case and we don't even get to see what was in it?" Judy said, almost frustrated.

"Did you hate the movie?"

"I _loved_ it! The actors did such a fantastic job, I was excited the whole time!"

"Then do you think getting to see what was in the case would've changed anything?"

"I don't know, I didn't get to see what it was!"

Nick laughed, "Judy, they left the contents ambiguous. You can imagine whatever you want to be inside. That's the best thing about the movie, the characters are so strong that they don't need to rely on circumstance, or objects. It's a completely character-driven story."

Judy calmed down, and stared blankly, in thought. "Wow…" was her only response.

Nick pointed at her, "That right there. That is why I want to watch the original Star Boars with you. I get to watch your mind explode." He grinned devilishly as he finished his bedding on the floor.

Judy finally realized what he was doing, "Wait, you're going to sleep on the floor?"

"Uh, yep," Nick said, drawing his mind away from what she probably was not implying. "Don't see anywhere else to sleep."

Judy thought for a moment, she hadn't thought about where he'd sleep. Embarrassed, "Wait, I'll sleep on the floor, you can have the bed."

Nick laid down on his makeshift bedding and yawned. "Carrots, you hurt your leg. I'm sleeping on the floor, it's not like I've never slept on a floor before."

"But, I—"

"Unless there's a guest room that you've neglected to show me, I'll be sleeping on the floor." Nick laughed once again, "Trust me, I'm OK." He said in an assuring tone.

"I—" Judy said, stopping herself before she offered to let him sleep in her bed with her. Her ears flushed hot. "Nick. I'm gonna be honest. I didn't even think about where you'd sleep."

"You're embarrassed," Nick grinned, looking up at her from the floor. "So cute."

Nick wanted to see how much he could get away with calling her cute, something she appeared to no longer mind. At least, what her face would show, he watched as her ears told a different story.

"Stop staring at my ears, I know what you're doing." She said, laying back on her bed.

"Ooph, you caught me."

"You know what? You _can_ sleep on the floor," She teased.

"Done and done, let's get some sleep, carrots." Nick said, sitting up to turn off the light on Judy's desk, letting the room become dark. "We had a _long_ day."

"Yeah," Judy agreed, "Yeah, we did." Judy thought for a moment, the events of the day still marinating in her mind. "We really did it, didn't we."

"Yeah, yeah we did." Nick replied, mirroring her. "Really that hard to believe?"

"No, well, I mean a little. When I woke up this morning, I was in Bunnyburrow… and I was going to sell vegetables today… All day. Wasn't really expecting to be able to talk to you again. Let _alone_ find out what we were missing this whole time, and find the culprit."

"I know what you mean, that airfield you found me in, I'd been there since morning."

"What were you doing there?"

"Waiting," Nick said plainly, thinking about how to explain. "Waiting for something…"

"Waiting? For me?"

"No, well… maybe I _was_ waiting for you. I don't really know what I was waiting for." Nick let out a foxy yawn as he waited for Judy to respond.

"So, you were saying you were miserable, too?" Judy reminded, hoping he would pick up.

"I said that earlier, yeah, but as I recall we got into a laughing fit and I lost my train of thought, maybe I'll remember tomorrow."

Judy rolled her eyes in the dark, "Oh, come on! Stop teasing me!"

"Alright, alright," he relented.

Nick paused for a moment to settle himself into his blanket. Judy did the same, realizing that she had just been laying diagonally on top of her blanket.

"The last three months," Nick started, his tone turned forlorn. "They've been different."

"Different?"

"Mm-hmm, different. My _life_ has been different ever since… Ever since I met you."

"Since you met me?" She echoed, not sure what he was trying to say.

"Yep. I didn't realize it at the time, but when we first met, I felt… _ashamed_."

"I made you feel ashamed?" Judy said, confused, "Ashamed of what?"

"Hmm, myself. What I was doing, the state my life was in… the state I _let_ my life become."

Judy hummed, not quite sure how to respond.

"The way you looked at me when you found out I was a con-mammal. You looked… disappointed."

"I was, Nick," Judy affirmed, "You are so much more than a con-mammal, more than a hustler."

Nick sighed, almost out of frustration. "Judy, we had just met, how did you _know_?"

Judy thought for a moment. "I don't know, I guess I just did."

"That's _it_?" Nick said, it was his turn to be disappointed. "You just _knew_?"

"No I—, I mean…" Judy tried to think of an explanation. "Nick, I saw how passionate you can be, even when you're trying to get a free jumbo pop, or when you're trying to think about why a mouse should buy your stupid used pawpsicle sticks. You put thought into things. And the more time we spent together, the more I could see that I was right. You're confident, and passionate, and smart… You can be so much more, you _are_ so much more."

Nick laid quietly for a moment. No one talked about Nick like that. Every time they saw Nick, all they saw was a fox, and that's all Nick expected anyone to see.

"Thank you…" Nick whispered, too quiet for Judy to hear.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you, Judy," Nick said, blinking the wetness from his eyes. "Thank you for… saying that."

"I meant it, Nick," She said sincerely.

Suddenly, she remembered. She didn't want Nick to go back to what he used to do, she wanted Nick to become something more, to protect, and serve. She wanted Nick to be by her side.

"Nick," she continued, "I have something for you."

"Yeah?" He said, the unseen smile on his muzzle was abundantly apparent in his single word response.

"Mm-hmm, since you can't have the Jr. Police badge back from my fox plush," Judy said, almost teasingly, "I want you to have a real one. I kept the application you gave back to me, you know. It's in my desk."

Nick laughed cheerfully, "I would be honored to be your partner."


	15. Moms only exist in hindsight

_5 Days earlier_

 _August 18th, 20X8_

 _Early Morning_

 _Savanna Central_

Nick knocked on the aging wooden door. It was his height, the door to a fox-sized townhouse. Nothing like his own apartment, which had been designed more generally, with medium-sized mammals in mind.

The door opened, "Nicky!" The older female fox said, "Didn't know you were coming over, I would've made you breakfast!"

"It's OK, Mom," he said, giving her a slight smile. "I'm not hungry now, anyway."

"Oh, come in, kiddo," Morgan ushered her son inside warmly, "I'll go make us some coffee, OK?"

"Sure," he said plainly. He followed her to the kitchen, and took a seat at the small round dining table.

His mother's house was simple, almost unchanged. Green-patterned wallpaper decorated the small room on one side, with white tile decorating the walls of the kitchen. The furniture and appliances were relatively new, contrasting between the outdated cabinets and older looking decorations hanging from the wall. Pictures of a happy three member family, a mother and father, and their young son.

"So," Morgan said, scooping spoonfuls of coffee grounds into a French press, "To what do I owe this rare visit from my own son, hmm?"

"I…" Nick's voice was already trailing off, as he tried to think of a way to explain. All Nick knew was that he was hurting inside, so he came to the one place he knew he could go when he had tried everything. Nick tapped his claws on the dining table. "I don't know…" He finally relented, sighing from his nose.

"Hmm, 'I don't know'," Morgan mirrored, "Guess that's a good enough reason to visit your poor old mom."

Nick allowed a small yet distant grin, "Oh, come on, you're not old."

"Nicky, what have I told you about lying?" She teased. "Or am I going to have to put sugar in your coffee?"

"Mom, you're fifty-one. That's middle aged."

"That's it," She said in a stern tone, "You're getting sugar _and_ cream in your coffee."

" _Wow_ , you're making your already subpar coffee even more undrinkable…"

"Oh, well, _excuse_ me!" Morgan set a cup of black coffee in front of Nick and sat down across the small table with her own cup of nearly white coffee. A small flower design made from cream sat on top. "Not everyone can afford to drink that fancy coffee from Mr. Big's mansion," she waved her hands around mockingly.

Nick stopped as he reached for the coffee, then narrowed his eyes at his mother. "Mr. Big huh? You know me and him aren't really on speaking terms anymore…"

"Hmm, that's not what _I_ hear," she took a loud sip of coffee, giving him a cocky grin. "I hear he helped you and that little bunny friend of yours find those missing mammals."

"Oh?" Nick tried to play coy, as he helped himself to his own coffee. It didn't surprise him that his mother already knew. "Where'd you hear that little story from?"

Morgan stood up, "Heard it a few weeks ago," She said as she walked past him to the hallway, stepping out of view. "You're not the _only_ one who knows how to find information."

Nick scoffed, "Right, that's not the only skill I inherited…" he said under his breath.

Morgan reappeared with a small red box in hand, "You realize my ears are as big as yours, right?"

"What's the box for?" He said as he watched her place it on the table next to her coffee.

"Oh, this is for later," she waved a paw at him, "First, you're going to tell me what your mother can do for you. You need money? Cookies? Somebody beat you up while you were trying to hustle 'em? Can't say I blame 'em, I'd beat you up too if you tried to sell me a popsicle you made with your _foot_."

Nick chuckled, and sat back in his chair. Morgan was of course, not scolding Nick, but teasing him. She had scolded him over his way of life long ago, and had already moved on. She knew what she had to do to get Nick to open up, and she was good at it. That's why Nick was here; he needed someone to talk to, but he didn't know how to talk about it.

Nick slowly shook his head, staring at the ripples in his coffee as he clacked the sides of the mug with his claws. "That's why I'm here actually…"

"… What?" She said after Nick paused, "You're here to sell me a foot popsicle?"

"Ok, first off, they're called _Paw_ psicles," he explained playfully, "with a p-a-w in the front, it's a pun you see- because they're made from a paw print. Second… I'm here because I can't… I don't _want_ to live like that anymore…"

Morgan watched her son, his eyes, sincere… ashamed.

"Nicky?" She said, concerned, "Nicky, are you OK?"

"I don't know what I've been doing…" he continued, he looked away, "Nothing makes sense anymore— my _life_ doesn't make sense anymore."

"What happened, honey—?"

"What _didn't_ happen?" He laughed, almost choking, "I gave up—! I gave up and didn't even realize it!"

"Gave up what—?"

"I gave up on _myself_!" He said, his voice raising, waving his paws around in frustration, "I gave up on my life! I thought I knew what I was doing, but I didn't even—"

"Hey, hey, slow down, it's OK—"

"—and some _idiot rabbit_ shows up and makes me rethink **_everything_** only to throw at all back in my face—!"

Morgan got up and wrapped her arms around her precious son, like she did countless times, many, many years ago. Nick grew quiet, his breathing slowed as she groomed the back of his head with her paw.

"It's OK, honey… mommy knows… shhh-shhh."

The two spent some time in silence. Nick, normally made uncomfortable by physical contact, even from his own mother, sat there in her embrace, too upset to reject it. The emotion took Nick by surprise. He thought he had everything under control, until he was swept off his feet by its overwhelming current.

"She made me think I could be anything…" He finally said, his blurry eyes staring through the wood grain patterns on the table. "She made me feel like a little kit again, gave me hope. Hope that I lost a long time ago…"

"And then?" She encouraged softly, listening.

"Then…" Nick let out a sorrowful chuckle, "She did what everyone else does… what they all end up doing… she told me I can only be what I am." He took in a jagged breath, letting it out in a long sigh. "It's in my _biology_ …"

"She told you that?"

"No…" He admitted, "But… it wasn't what she said."

Morgan slowly released Nick from the embrace, looking down at him. He turned away. Morgan sat back down in her chair.

"She was afraid of you…" She surmised, watching Nick slump in his chair, trying to blink away his tears.

Nick just nodded. Judy was afraid of him. "She even asked me to be her partner. Become a cop… How can I be her partner if she's _afraid_ of me? How can I be…"

"You wanted to be close to her?" She asked.

Nick slowly gulped. The question hurt. It hurt him in ways he didn't understand.

He closed his eyes, and braced himself for the answer. An answer he hid from himself. He nodded slowly.

"Yes," a quiet yet powerful answer came. Nick felt a rush of emotion, a release, like a cold breeze emanating from his core, chilling him. He shivered.

Morgan took her son's paw into her own, and brought his paw up to rest on the table. She smiled warmly at him.

"Remember, three years ago?" Morgan asked, taking the red box and placing it in his paw. "You told me you'd never find love again? After that vixen disappeared?"

Nick felt the box in his paw, shifting it to the side, examining it, feeling its velvety outside. _Was_ he in love with Judy? Is that why it hurt so badly?

"What's this?" He asked, confused.

"It's a box, _idiot_."

Nick chuckled, "Right, so I see."

He reached with his other paw to open it. Morgan stopped him, putting her paw over the box.

"When you open the box, I know what you're going to say;" Morgan said, "'Sheesh mom, you sure are sentimental.'" She said in a deep mocking tone, pretending to sound like Nick, mimicking his cadence.

"Hmm," Nick said with a grin, still wondering what was inside. "I guess we'll have to see about that, huh?"

"Nicky, remember, it's not about what's inside the box."

"Uhh…"

"The box is just an object, a thing, and so is what's inside."

"Mom—"

"What matters is what's _outside_ the box."

"Mom, please."

"It's not about sentiment, things, or circumstance—"

"Mom, I'm thirty-two years old."

"It's about you. Your story comes from _you_."

"Can I please just see what's in the box."

"Be strong, Nick. Be strong enough to deal with what's inside."

"I don't want to open the box anymore—"

Morgan smacked Nick's paw with her own.

"Ow!" Nick yelped, almost laughing.

"Stop interrupting your mother!" She growled, but almost giving in to the urge to laugh. "I was trying to have a _moment_!"

Nick let out a creaky laugh, "We had one! Just… not as sappy as you were aiming for."

Morgan looked expectantly at the box in Nick's paw, as he slowly opened it. The smile on his face faded, replaced by a somber expression. He pulled out a familiar dark-red handkerchief, fitted just the size for a fox kit's junior ranger scout uniform. His face grew softer, sadder.

"Mom…" he said, still looking at the handkerchief. "How did you…?"

"You gave this to Pythia, three years ago," She recalled.

"Before she left me…" Nick corrected. "Where did you find this?"

"Tony came by a few weeks ago," She said, speaking carefully, "He said he found this recently, while having his mammals investigate her disappearance."

Nick gripped the handkerchief tightly, "I stopped looking for her a long time ago. Why is Mr. Big still looking for her?"

Morgan shrugged, "I guess you'll have to ask him yourself."

"Why are you giving this to me?" He asked, letting the cloth drop onto the table.

"Because it's yours," She said simply, "Remember your promise to me?"

"You want me to keep my promise by dragging out old memories?" He said, frustrated, confused. What good did it do bringing this up?

"You can't move forward if you try to forget what happened, kiddo. It's painful, I know. But if you really want to move on, you need to forgive, give the world another chance. Give Officer Judy another chance."

Nick scoffed, and folded his arms. "I've _been_ giving this world chances. I've been giving it chances since I was _born_."

"How many chances have you given this _girl_?"

"It makes no difference."

" _Doesn't_ it?" Morgan said, grinning, "Didn't you say she made you feel like you could be anything?"

Nick said nothing, he simply frowned as his eyes shifted between his mother, the floor, the table, the handkerchief.

"Talk to her, Nicky. At the very least, tell her how you feel, how she made you feel. Tell her the truth. Take the handkerchief and prove to the world— to _Judy_ that you're strong enough to keep trying."

Nick huffed, then let his arms fall to his sides. "I can't…"

"Yes, you can. A moment ago you sat there and told me you didn't want to live your life of conning and dishonesty anymore. Be brave, Nick. Fight your demons. Take this handkerchief and I'll be with you, use it to remember your promise to me. Use it to remember everything you've been through to get where you are, the good _and_ the bad."

Nick smiled, and shook his head. "You're so sentimental, mom."

Morgan snapped her padded finger loudly, pointing at Nick, her finger inches from his nose, "See? I told you that's what I'd get you to say."

"Aghhh," Nick scoffed, batting her finger away.

"It's not about sentiment, or _things_. I don't care about the handkerchief. Use it to blow your nose. What matters is _you_. I believe in you, kiddo. I always have," She smiled warmly.

"You're so _sappy_ , mom." He teased.

Morgan chuckled, "If there's one thing moms are known for, it's sap."

The two let out a laugh. If there was another thing Morgan was known for, it was stupid jokes.

"OK…" Nick said, sighing "I'll go talk to her…"

"Good. Oh Nicky, I'm so proud of you! No matter what happens, no matter what Judy says to you- I hope you'll continue to make your life better. To leave that mafia business behind you."

"One step at a time," Nick took a sip of his coffee.

"There, feel better after talking with your loving mum?" She turned to her own coffee, the design in it melted away long ago.

"Yeah… but I still have another problem…"

"Mm?" She said, looking back to him.

"My coffee got cold…"

* * *

 _Present Day_

 _August 23rd, 20X8_

 _After Midnight_

 _Savanna Central_

Nick slowly awoke in the darkness. The only light in the room came in from the drape-less window. A mixture of moonlight and street light from the city streamed in, more than enough for a fox to see. He felt the urge to go to the bathroom. The salty cheese and mushroom pizza he shared with Judy during the movie made him thirsty, and he had drunk quite a bit of water before going to bed.

Disoriented, Nick wondered why nothing seemed like any room in his apartment, and why he was sleeping on the floor. The memories of the previous night slowly made their way back. A smile crept along Nick's muzzle as he sat up, looking over to the sleeping form of his friend. Even in the extremely limited light, Nick could still clearly see Judy's face as she slept. Her ears flopped to one side on her pillow, her nose twitched ever so slightly as tiny breaths, not quite snores, escaped her.

 _She's so cute…_ Nick thought to himself, warm feelings starting to plant themselves into him. _Yesterday morning I was so miserable, and barely 24 hours later… Guess I should probably bring up how you make me feel sometime, huh?_

The urge to relieve himself nagged at him once more, and he slowly got to his feet. He felt his fur underneath his clothing as it unruffled, he was hot. Judy's apartment seemed to be much warmer at night than his own, and he usually didn't sleep with a blanket _and_ his clothes on. He walked towards the door leading out into the hallway. Judy's apartment had a shared bathroom, something Nick was accustomed to, having lived in dozens of different apartments and varying living conditions.

He quietly let himself out of Judy's room and made his way to the bathroom. His eyes adjusted to the light of the hallway.

 _A fox…_ he pondered, as he did his business. _In love with a rabbit._

Interspecies relationships weren't unheard of in a city like Zootopia, and found acceptance in more than a few places. However, the same couldn't be said for other parts of the world. In fact, mammals in Zootopia from older generations were even known for looking down on such things. The idea that you had to find love within your own species was an old tradition that was thankfully dying out, much like the idea that love could only be between a male and a female.

The world was still changing, new ideas of how one should live, or, more accurately, how one shouldn't _dictate_ or have _expectations_ over the lifestyle of another were starting to become more commonplace. And while Zootopia wasn't the "picture perfect" place of acceptance that even Judy had once thought it to be, it was definitely moving in the right direction; for every misstep, there was right step, and for every mistake, there was a lesson learned.

Nick humphed, _Am I in love with Judy?_ he questioned mentally. Nick was a full-grown fox, he wasn't stupid when it came to his own feelings, but he wasn't really experienced with what one would normally consider a 'successful' relationship. _I know I have feelings for you, carrots, so that's a start. You make me want to be better fox… A better_ ** _mammal_** _._

Nick finished washing his paws and made his way out of the bathroom.

"Hey," A voice came.

Nick looked to find a taller, antlered mammal coming down the hall. He wore what seemed to be a lab coat.

"Hey, how's it going'?" Nick replied, giving a yawn.

"Just got off work, can't complain." The straight-antlered mammal shrugged, stopping to examine Nick a bit closer. "Don't recall having a fox neighbor, you move in recently?"

"Just spending the night with Officer Hopps over there," Nick replied, while pointing towards Judy's door.

"Ahh, the bunny cop, you her boyfriend then?"

"Mmm, am I in a romantic relationship with her? No, no I am not, can't say I am," Nick said with a sigh, "I guess we'll see on that one though."

The taller mammal tittered, "Hmm, cool, cool. You be careful with that one, she's uh… excitable, but I guess you already knew that," He stretched, resuming his walk to his own apartment, which seemed to be right next to Judy's. "Have a good night, fox… Or don't. Whatever."

"Mm-hmm, you too," Nick replied, snickering at the mannerisms of the tall animal.

The other mammal entered his own apartment and disappeared from view, slamming the door behind him.

Nick let out another wide-mouthed yawn and made his way back into Judy's apartment, careful not to wake her. Although he figured the door slamming from the other apartment might already have made that point moot.

He watched Judy as he made his way to his bedding on the floor. She hadn't seemed to move and was still sound asleep.

 _Guess she's used to having noisy neighbors,_ he thought, chuckling.

He sat down and adjusted his blankets.

 _I never thought I'd have feelings for a rabbit girl,_ he thought, grinning at the strange emotions stirred by that statement. He watched Judy for a moment in silence. _I want to be the better mammal that you think I am… I want to be close to you, carrots._


	16. Fargoat

_Thursday, August 23rd, 20X8_

 _Early Morning_

 _Savanna Central_

An alarm blared, but was quickly silenced with a click. Nick kept his eyes closed, wanting more sleep.

"Agh!" A cry of pain and surprise came from above, followed by the sudden presence of a weight on top of Nick.

"Hnguh?" Nick said groggily as he looked at what landed on him. The room was still plenty dark, the morning light barely peeking from the horizon and illuminating the room with an ambient blue.

"Nick!" Judy said, embarrassed, and almost face-to-face with Nick. She had fallen on top of him and was struggling awkwardly to stand up. "Nick, I'm sorry! I—"

"What, you fall out of bed? We need to get you a guard rail?" Nick quipped, grinning at this 'unfortunate' accident. He quickly sat up to offer her a paw to help her stand back up.

"No—" she managed to say, before realizing she was using her injured leg to stand, "Nnng," she let out before switching to her other leg and sitting back down on the bed.

Nick let out a tired laugh, "What happened? You OK?"

"Well, I—" She waved her hand at her alarm, still trying to process an explanation. Her ears stood up, red from embarrassment.

Nick simply watched her ears, enjoying the sight of the color they were turning as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. In the darkened room, Judy wouldn't be able to make out where Nick's eyes were, but Nick could see well enough.

"Agh," Judy finally said, "The alarm went off, and habits kicked in before my brain did… I didn't even remember my leg was hurt. I didn't hurt _you_ did I?"

"Hurt?" Nick scoffed teasingly, "I more or less got crushed by a bunny, I think I might need a full-body cast." He joked, but he mentally noted how heavy she felt compared to her size.

"We should probably get you to the hospital, then!" Judy laughed lightly, still embarrassed. She smiled to Nick, who she couldn't quite make out in the darkness.

"Wow," Nick started again, almost impressed, "So you just hopped right out of bed without even thinking." He tittered, still watching her ears.

"I've been doing it for so long," she explained, almost flattered by being compared to clockwork. "In the academy, plus while I worked on the farm—"

"Hey!" A deeper voice came from the wall behind Judy, "Keep it down in there, Bucky works nights you know!"

"Didn't you hear them?" Another voice scolded, "Sounds like they might've got hurt in there."

"Oh, right— you— you guys OK?"

"It's too late now! You already yelled at them for making noise!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to get them to keep quiet so you can sleep!"

"Well, all the _good_ you're doing now! I'm sleeping _GREAT_ right now, thanks to you!"

"Shut up!"

"You're the one yelling! _You_ shut up!"

Judy sighed as the two continued to argue. Nick sat amused as he held an unseen smug grin.

"Noisy neighbors?" Nick asked.

" _All_. The. Time" Judy confirmed, rolling her eyes, almost amused. "That's Pronk and Bucky, they're a match made in heaven."

"Yeah, I met one of them last night when I went to the bathroom," Nick said, the arguing voices starting to slow down. "They a couple?"

Judy nodded, "Yep, they're married."

The arguing died down.

Yawning, Judy looked to Nick, the light from outside slowly becoming brighter, letting her see his face more clearly.

"Thanks, Nick." Judy said, "For spending the night."

"Heh, someone has to make sure you take those pills," He grinned. "Good to see you didn't explode during the night."

Judy laughed at the absurdity of the thought, "Nope, no exploding bunnies. So, um…"

Nick caught on quickly enough to where Judy's thoughts were going. She wanted him to stay longer. He felt the same way, still not quite ready to say goodbye yet. He also didn't feel ready to admit how he felt about her either, nor how to say it.

"Yes, carrots?" He teased, drawing out the words, knowing full well what Judy was going to ask.

"You don't want to leave already, do you? You wouldn't want to…" Judy hesitated nervously, "Spend another night, maybe? So we can watch more movies?"

"Hmm, a bunny asking a ferocious fox to stay another night in her home…"

"Oh, stop it, Nick. I mean if you don't want to, then—"

"I'd love to, carrots."

Content with his answer, Judy gave him a wide grin. A grin which Nick took an extra second to enjoy.

Nick stretched, letting out a big-mouthed yawn. He watched as the bunny seemingly stared at his open mouth.

"Although I could use some more shut eye," he said, "and you're still recovering from that injury, you could use some extra sleep too."

"Hmm, I guess you're right," she admitted, settling back into bed. "Feels kinda weird though, it's been a long time since I've been able to sleep in."

Nick laid back down, "What do you mean? What do you do on weekends?"

"I still wake up at the same time, but instead of going to work I would go for a jog—"

"Wow, I told you you were a super trooper—"

Judy scoffed, "And what about you? What was that you said? 'Making 200 bucks a day, every day since you were twelve'?"

Nick chuckled, "I would still sleep in on weekends, the best thing about conning was that I could work my own hours. Because _technically_ speaking, I was self-employed."

"Right," Judy let out an amused yawn. "Well, let's enjoy this time off, then. After I hand in your application, the chief said he would interview you personally. Are you sure you're ready to leave that life behind? Be my partner? It'll be a big change, you know."

"Mm'yeah, I know. And I am ready. I really do want this."

Judy let out a pleased hum. "We'll be great together, Nick." Her voice grew quieter as she succumbed to her weariness.

"Yep. I know we will." He found himself falling back into sleep, a promise on his mind before he fully drifted off. _No matter what it takes, I never want you to stop looking at me the way you do… I want to make you proud, Judy._

* * *

 _Late Morning_

A ringtone. Nick slowly awoke to the sound of a ringtone this time. The ringtone ceased.

"Hello?" Judy said groggily, opening her Muzzle Time call.

"Hey! Mornin', Jude!" A small voice said. "How's the leg doin'? Everything OK?"

"Morning, Dad! Yeah, the leg is fine, it doesn't hurt anymore. I've got Nick here looking after me."

"Oh, that Nick. I tell ya, ya found a real good friend that one. Is he around? Wanna say 'Hi', and tell him thanks for lookin' after my little cop."

"Mmm," Judy seemed to lean over to check on Nick, "Nope, he's still sleeping, I'll tell him you said 'Hi' though."

"Oh good, good, maybe I'll catch him another time. _Anyway_ , just letting you know me and your mom are gonna come to the city later today, we need to grab the truck. Chrisy and Chrysela need it to run some fertilizer bags over to one of the greenhouses."

"Oh…! Uh, sure dad! What time do you guys think you'll be here?"

"We could be on our way now actually, if you—"

"Um, do you think you guys could come by maybe in the afternoon? I'm trying to sleep in today, really tired from what happened yesterday. That way you can meet Nick."

"Oh, of course, Jude. You get some rest, then. I'll let Bon know, we'll look forward to seeing both of you!"

The two both said their goodbyes and the call ended. Nick took in a yawn and looked up at Judy, who was checking to see if he was awake.

"Oh, Nick?" She said sweetly, giving him an odd smile. "You remember how we left the truck parked? …Illegally?"

"Yep, I heard your conversation," he replied, grinning up at her as he sat upright. "Suppose we should go grab it before your folks get here."

"You don't mind meeting my parents, right?" Judy asked, getting out of bed and limping over to her crutches.

"Nope, your dad sounded nice at least."

"OK, go get ready and…" Judy paused, starring at Nick for a moment. "Did you… sleep in all of your clothes?"

Nick looked down at himself, he had, tie and all. Compared to Judy, who had swapped out of her torn jeans into some sweat pants with a bathroom break during the movie the previous night.

"Told you, carrots," He shrugged, "These clothes are perfect for work, play, and sleep! Though, your apartment does gets a little warm… Actually _really_ warm."

"You can, um," she let her ears fall to the back of her head, as if to hide them preemptively. "You don't have to sleep with all of your clothes on, you can make yourself comfortable."

Nick gave her a sideways grin and raised an eyebrow as he got to his feet; he resisted making a risqué joke about her trying to get him out of his clothes.

Judy looked away from the grin, seemingly knowing what he was thinking. She quickly grabbed some clothes from some coat hangers on the wall. "I'm going to get— get changed, then we can go."

She made her way out of the room.

Nick chuckled to himself as he sat down on her bed, in thought.

"She probably feels the same way, right? She's giving off enough signs," Nick said quietly to himself, "You gotta tell her sometime…"

Nick pondered for a moment in silence. He wanted to tell her the way he felt, it nagged at him, like a yearning he hadn't felt in a long time. But Nick had been hurt before, he wanted to make sure Judy felt the same. He could normally read just about anything he needed from another mammal. But this was different, he wasn't trying to hustle Judy, and the harder he tried, the further the answers seemed. Like he was blinding himself to the hints Judy was giving off.

 _Maybe she's not even giving me any hints,_ Nick thought, _Maybe she just wants to be friends and I'm just a hopeless old fox._

He closed his eyes, self-doubt now revealing itself. Nick _was_ much older than Judy; Nick was a fox, a _predator_ , and a con-mammal at that. The contrasts between them could no longer be ignored. Nick was a changing mammal, to be sure, but he was only changing in ways he could control.

Nick was no stranger to self-doubt, he worked his whole life to fight it, work against it, and ultimately; merely hide from it.

 _No, stop it, you_ ** _idiot_** , Nick coached himself harshly, _Nicholas Wilde does not doubt himself, that's what Judy likes about you: your_ ** _confidence_** _. That's what she likes about me… But does she like me that way?_

Nick's phone chimed on the floor, somewhere in his bedding. He picked it up after a brief search and checked the notification: A message from Morgan.

(Happy Birthday, kiddo!)

* * *

 _Noon_

"Nick?"

"Huh?" Nick snapped from his forlorn stare, his trance-like walk.

After stopping for some quick breakfast, the two finally came to the truck they had parked the day before. The ZUber had dropped them off someways down the street and they had walked the rest of the way.

"I was asking if you minded driving," she repeated, noticing Nick's distant behavior. "I did that thing again where I make assumptions when I probably should have asked you first!" She snickered nervously.

"Yeah! Yeah, no worries, carrots. I don't mind. I told you I'd take care of you while you were recovering, right?"

She did her usual pleased hum as she hobbled her way over to the passenger side door. Nick caught up to her to open the door for her.

Judy gave him a pleased smile before accepting the kind gesture. They had come a long way in their relationship from the first time they met. The short time they had spent together felt like an eternity, despite the long miserable time spent apart.

After doing a one-legged hop into the truck, Judy turned back to Nick, who laid her crutches on the floor beneath her.

Nick walked around then settled into the driver's seat and prepared himself for the drive back to Judy's apartment. He took in a breath.

"Are you sure you're OK driving?" Judy asked.

"Mmmm, it's not that," Nick admitted, giving her a distant smile. "I'm OK with driving, trust me. My driving can't possibly be any worse than yours." He chuckled, swatting at her ear playfully.

Judy batted his paw away. "OK, seriously, what's _wrong_ with my driving?"

Nick started the truck, "Well, for one thing, you break _really_ hard. Probably those bunny leg muscles." He teased as he pulled the truck onto the road and started the journey. "Second, I've never heard you swear before, but you come really close when you weave in and out of traffic."

"Hey! When you drive a smaller car you really need to be aggressive! You can't let the other cars push you around." Judy said, almost offended.

"I think the word your looking for is _defensive_ , something that you're being right now and something you should be on the road. Aggressive driving will get you flattened in the city."

"OK, you're starting to sound like my mom."

"I'm liking her more already!"

Judy punched him on the arm, almost as hard as the punch that gave him a bruise just yesterday.

"Ow!" He yelped, almost swerving the truck, "You see?! Aggressive! You need to dial down the feisty there, carrots."

"Don't tell me how to drive and I won't beat on you, slick." She said sweetly, almost seductively. Nick slowly felt himself become overwhelmed with odd feelings. It was, again, not _what_ she said, but the way she said it.

Nick gulped, _The way she talks to me sometimes… did she_ ** _always_** _talk that way? Or…_

"You OK, Nick?" Judy said, noticing the odd look on Nick's face, a mix of nervousness and… something else. "I was just teasing, I didn't—"

"N-no, I'm fine. It's not that," Nick said, on the verge of stammering. He blinked a few times.

"You've been saying, 'It's not that' all morning," she said, using a deeper mocking voice when mimicking Nick. "You want to talk about it?"

"I have not been saying that 'all morning,'" It was Nick's turn to be defensive.

"You just look like you've got something on your mind. You can talk to me you know."

Nick paused for a moment, before speaking up, "A lot's happened the last 24 hours. We almost got blown up, mayor little-lamb hunted us down and shot at me with her 'off-the-walls-crazy' serum paintball gun, and…" Nick stopped, he caught himself as he was deflecting again, almost by instinct. Despite all the crazy things that happened, those weren't the things on his mind. He knew who he was talking to, he knew he could talk to Judy, he _wanted_ to tell Judy what was actually on his mind. "Judy, I, um… that's not it either— and yes, I know that's the third time— but we can talk about it later. OK?"

Judy put her paw on his forearm as he drove, "Talk when you're ready, Nick. I'll be here."

* * *

 _Afternoon_

Nick paused the video, grinning to his new movie-watching companion. Both were laying on their stomachs on the bed, facing the laptop.

"OK," he started, clasping his hands together, and bringing steepled fingers up to his muzzle. "Now before I continue the movie—"

"No! Don't spoil it!" She whined, "Unpause it! This is killing me!"

"I'm not spoiling it!" Nick said, explaining, "I'm just preparing you for what's going to happen next."

Judy humphed, "What's to prepare for?"

"So, you're going to see someone get fed into a woodchipper—"

"Nick!" Judy shouted incredulously, "You spoiled it!"

"I did not!" He defended, "I'm just preparing you for the gore! It's really graphic—"

"Oh, my gosh, Nick," She punched him in the shoulder again, much softer than her previous two punches. "I'm not a little girl that's going to cry if I see blood. We _just_ watched Pork Fiction, I didn't mind the guy getting shot in the head… much."

Judy's phone chimed. A text message. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone.

( Hey Jude, I'm downstairs. It OK to come up? )

"Huh…" Judy said.

"Hmm? Your parents here?"

"Yeah, but…" She started tapping her response to her father, "My dad's asking if it's 'OK' to come up, he's never asked that before, he usually just tries to open my door."

( Yeah, come on up, guys. )

"Maybe he's realizing his little girl needs privacy in her adulthood?" Nick teased.

"Yeah, _that's_ what I'm worried about," She laughed lightly.

Her father responded, ( Just me Jude, Bon couldn't come. I'll explain when I get up there. )

Nick stood up to let Judy off the bed. The two spent some time cleaning up the small mess of blankets and empty snack containers, while Nick noticed he was more nervous than he should have been.

There was a knock at the door.

"The door's unlocked, dad!" Judy called out.

No response.

Judy hopped over to the door without her crutches, and opened it.

"Hey!" Stu said, greeting his daughter enthusiastically but with a hint of nervousness, "How's it goin', Jude! Mind if I come in?"

"Dad," Judy asked suspiciously, Nick gave a wave to the older male bunny in the doorway from behind her. "You _never_ ask if you can come in, you usually just come in."

"Well," Stu said, nervously making non-sensical gestures with his paws, "I just knew you had a guy friend over, so I didn't want to, hehe— you know. Walk in on anything—"

"Dad!" Judy exclaimed, her ears starting to flush.

Judy and Nick exchanged an embarrassed glance, the same thought on both their minds. _So that's what that was all about._

"Dad, this is Nick," She stood aside for her father to get a better look. "He is my best _friend_ , and we were only watching movies." Judy looked to Nick to back her up.

"Yep, just movie watching in here. No funky stuff," Nick said, looking around the room, as if the mentioned 'funky stuff' was a physical object. He started walking toward Stu. "Pleasure to meet you, uh, Stewart is it?" He glanced a quick unsure look towards Judy.

"Oh, uh, nope! Just Stu," He replied, holding out a paw to shake Nick's. "The Stu's not actually short for anything. Nope, my full first name is just Stu." He chuckled hardily.

Nick pulled a paw from his pocket and shook Stu's awaiting paw. "Wilde, Nick Wilde. Professional 'best friend', at your service."

Judy rolled her eyes at that, but allowed a grin.

"So, what movie you all watchin'?" Stu asked.

"Fargoat," Nick replied, replacing his paw back into his pocket. "It's a classic."

"Ohoh, don't I know it," Stu agreed, "That one's a doozy, although a bit gore heavy towards the end." He chuckled again, "He warn ya about that, Jude?"

Judy closed her eyes, "Yes, he did. I can handle gore, dad." She said in an unamused voice.

Stu laughed, then patted Judy on the shoulder. "I know, I know, I'm just teasin' hun." He turned his attention toward Nick, "It's good that you're showing her the classics. Yep, growin' up, Judy only watched the cop movies."

"That would explain a few things," Nick nodded, giving a cocky smirk down at Judy.

Judy merely smiled and shook her head. "So, where's mom?"

"Oh! That's right, uh— Bon had to go have a chat with the weather control guys. She's been paranoid since last year— you remember last winter when the snow got through the barrier?"

"Yeah, I remember," she said, turning to Nick to clue him in, "Wiped out our entire southern fields."

"Ohoh, and Bon's been on the war path since. Told 'em that if it happens again she's gonna round up all the frost killed plants and dump 'em on their station." He chuckled. "Well, uh I'm sure you all wanna get back to your movie—" He suddenly put a paw up to the side of his mouth and leaned over to Judy, "You sure he ain't your boyfriend? Because—"

"Dad!" Judy scolded, "Here, I'll come downstairs with you, can we talk outside?" She didn't wait for him to respond, quickly hopping with one leg over to her desk and grabbed the truck keys and crutches. She looked to Nick, lowering her ears in case he was staring. "I'm just, uh, gonna have a chat with my dad, I'll be back."

Nick simply tittered and shrugged, giving his usual smile.

"Nice finally seein' ya, Nick," Stu said hurriedly, "You take care now!"

Judy hastily shuffled her dad out the door and closed it behind her, leaving Nick alone in the apartment.

Nick simply laughed and shook his head, then sighed as he sat down on the bed.

"Even her dad thinks we're together now?" He said quietly to himself. His smile faded.

Nick stood up after a moment and started pacing around the room. _If I do tell her... and she doesn't feel that way..._ , his chest hurt at the thought, as if the organs inside his ribcage were tightening against themselves. _She wouldn't let that get between us, right?_ Nick could feel the self doubt return. He shook his head. He looked at the door, still no sign of Judy. _What're they talking about out there?_

After a moment, Judy came back through the door, having sent her father on his way.

Judy leaned her crutches on the desk and limped toward the bed. She gestured to Nick to give her ample space before flopping down backward next to him.

Judy groaned, putting her paws over her face. "I'm sorry my dad said those things, he can be a real _dumb bunny_ sometimes."

Nick stopped himself before he made any jokes about him and Judy actually being together, as Stu had continually assumed. He opened his mouth to speak, only to realize what was about to come out was another misplaced joke, so he merely cleared his throat awkwardly.

"You, uh— you wanna start the movie back up?" He said, hastily waking his laptop before regaining his usual foxy composure. "I know what you're going to say at the ending. Your face is going to be priceless."

* * *

 _1 hour later_

Nick looked to his movie-watching companion as the credits began to roll. He grinned as he watched a confused look on her face, her mouth hung open crookedly and her buck teeth showed.

She looked back and forth between him and the laptop, then raised her hands palm faced up. Moving them together, then apart again.

"Why'd he need the money?" She asked incredulously.

"Doesn't matter," Nick shrugged, relishing the reaction he was getting from her.

"Oh, no, no, nonono," Judy shook her head, sitting up from her laying-down, movie-watching position. "Don't you do that to me again! This is getting ridiculous, you did this on purpose. You picked _another_ movie that you knew would drive me crazy."

"Mmmm, as I recall, _you_ picked both movies," Nick reminded her smugly.

"But you brought them up! You talked about them and tempted me to watch them."

"Oh? What happened to being a fully-grown rabbit?" He teased, "Now you're not able to make your own decisions for what movies to watch?"

Judy grumbled in frustration. "Why did he need the money? All that trouble over money and we don't even get to know why he needed it?! They tossed Steve Moosemi into a wood chipper! Oh, that was so much blood…"

Nick merely gave Judy his usual smug grin as he took in the wildly ranging emotions coming from her.

The two spent some time discussing the movie, and deciding on what food they wanted to order before starting on their next movie. While Nick focused on spending precious time with Judy, there was one thought in the back of his mind that nagged at him.

 _Soon… I should tell her soon…_ he thought. He was expending more and more effort not to accidentally let it out with a poorly thought out joke, or half-minded quip. _Let's just see how tonight plays out, maybe I'll feel better about telling her after another movie…_

* * *

 _5 Hours later_

 _Evening_

Nick stretched out on the bed and yawned. Laying on the bed on his stomach had begun to make him sore.

Judy followed suit, sitting up and reaching her arms in the air. Nick's contagious loud yawn causing an equally loud yawn for Judy.

"So?" Nick said mid-yawn, "What did you think?" He looked eagerly back at the bunny to see what expressions she would have on display for him.

"I think I'm not used to watching so many movies in one day," She said, patting the still laying Nick on the back, her paw lingered on him. "I'm so sore! I need to do some exercise, but my leg is still stiff."

"Hmm, yeah you might need to keep being lazy until your leg is healed up." Nick teased, noticing her paw on his back.

"Actually," Judy said, removing her paw from him. "Scoot, scoot," She ushered him off the bed, as he was blocking her in.

He obliged and stood up.

Judy shifted herself to a sitting position on the edge of the bed and leaned over to open a drawer on the underside of the bed. Inside the drawer was a large dumbbell, she lifted it out of the drawer with little effort. Closing the drawer, she leaned forward with the dumbbell in her paw and started lifting it repeatedly.

"I need to work off that Grazian food we ate," she tittered.

"Only one?" Nick asked, "Thought dumbbells came in pairs."

"There _was_ a pair, but I lost it when I moved out of the academy. Besides, one is good enough when you know what exercises to do." She seemed to effortlessly raise the dumbbell, she spoke normally, as if she was sitting there doing nothing.

The dumbbell was rather large in comparison to her, a good size for a fox to use, but seeing Judy use it seemed disproportionate.

Nick sat down next to her, watching with an almost bated fascination. She began counting her reps in a hushed voice.

"What time is it?" Judy asked, only now beginning to display physical strain in her voice.

Nick pulled out his phone, ignoring the several texts he had gotten from his mother and Finnick.

"There's actually a clock on my window sill," Judy explained, "You're in the way, I can't see it."

"It's after nine, getting late," Nick put his phone away and resumed watching the rabbit workout. "Probably not enough time for another movie."

Judy hummed, grunting as she let one final rep with her arm. She switched arms and continued doing reps.

Nick couldn't help himself from watching, seeing Judy's arm muscle bulge as she lifted. She had seemed so scrawny, Nick noted how odd it looked seeing hidden muscles come into view. Judy glanced his direction, seeming to notice his fascination.

Nick shook his head and looked away awkwardly, and cleared his throat. He stood up from the bed.

"So, um…" He said, trying to think of something to discuss. He trailed off as he looked at the pictures Judy had on her desk. Pictures of a large rabbit family. He recognized two of the bunnies in the first picture, Judy and Stu. The rest of the countless bunnies were unfamiliar. Another picture of just Stu and Judy. Nick picked up the third: a picture of Judy and another younger rabbit. The younger sitting on the older's shoulder.

"That's Lily." Judy explained, "Those pictures were all taken after my graduation."

Nick nodded, and look back to the picture. "Big family." He commented, chuckling.

Judy hummed in agreement, continuing her workout. "That's not even everyone."

Nick stared further at the picture, surprised that there were more bunnies than what was shown. "How do you decide who goes in the pictures?" Nick asked with a genuine curiosity. "Someone's gotta feel left out."

"It's normal in a bunny family," she explained, physical exhaustion finally starting to show, "my family kinda formed these 'groups' that would normally associate with each other, that just happened to be my group. Some of my siblings even gave themselves 'team' names." She let a short laugh.

Nick put the picture down as he thought about the idea of a family so large that it had to divide itself up into 'teams'.

"Did your group have a team name?" He grinned as he came back to sit next to her.

Judy stopped lifting and rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she answered, "Team Judy." She handed Nick the dumbbell. "You want a turn with this?"

"Team _Judy_?" Nick asked incredulously as he absent-mindedly held out his hand to accept the dumbbell.

"Yep, don't ask, long story." She placed the dumbbell carefully in his waiting paw.

Nick's eyes grew wide as his arm failed to carry the newly-introduced weight. He jerked forward as his arm attempted to keep it from falling, he grunted as he struggled to lift it.

"Oh, Nick, careful!" Judy said, reaching down to offer to take the weight back.

"What the—" He whined, astonished.

"Nick here, give it back, it's too—"

"—No-no!" He said, almost wheezing, a laugh threatened to break free from him. "I can do it!"

"Don't strain yourself, you'll tear your distal bicep tendon!" She urged worryingly.

"It's OK, it's OK," He assured, slowly but surely raising the dumbbell. He focused his entire being into the lift.

Judy watched with a cautious enthusiasm, keeping her paws hovering under the dumbbell in case of a catastrophic failure.

"I believe in you, Nick." She whispered.

That's all Nick needed to hear. He grunted hardily as he reached the apex, completing the lift.

"One…" he wheezed, resisting the urge to laugh. "Ow- _ow_ , please take the weight, take-it- _take-it-take-it_ —"

Judy took the weight from him, giggling with pride for Nick. "You did it! Good job!" She cheered, holding the weight in one paw and punching him in the shoulder with the other.

"Ahhhh…" he groaned, laying down on the bed cradling his punched, strained arm, "How do you lift that thing?!" He whined insufferably.

Judy put the dumbbell away and sat next to Nick. "Easy!" She said cheekily. "200 reps a day," She said slowly, sweetly, "365 days a year, since I was 12."

Nick let out a foxy laugh, pushing Judy with the back of his paw. "You're learning, carrots. Soon you'll be as snarky as me!"

"I learned from the best," she giggled, smiling sweetly at the fox.

Nick starred back at Judy, the two shared a moment of silence, both engaged in the gaze of the other.

"There's enough time for another movie," Judy said, trying to regain herself, distracted by Nick's smile. "If… you want—" She cleared her throat and looked away. "—If you want to keep watching movies."

 _Maybe I'll tell her now,_ he kept grinning at the bunny, finally accepting the situation between them.

"Hmm, I have just the movie." He said, putting his paws behind his head, still laying on his back on the bed. "Remember the one we talked about—"

"Oh, one sec," Judy stood up from the bed and walked over to her clothes hanging on the wall. "Lemme change into my pajamas," Her voice was still strained, though not from the exercise, he thought. Something in her tone was suspiciously nervous.

Thinking nothing of it, he rolled over to his stomach and woke his laptop up. "OK, I'll set up the—" he stopped talking as he looked up to Judy. "—Movie, yeah." She was facing away from Nick, and had taken off her jeans. Nick's eyes immediately took to the fluffy tail sticking out of her now visible panties.

Nick felt an immediate rush of heat in his head and ears, and forced himself to look away from Judy, to _anywhere_ else in the room. His paws, the bed, the desk, the _ceiling_.

"Judy, uh," he gulped, his nerves were tingling, Judy continued changing in front of him, still turned away from him. He continued trying to look away fruitlessly, wanting very much to look at her. "Maybe we watch— uh, can watch this movie that, uh…"

Aloof, Judy slid into her pajama bottoms then turned around, her ears flush with the back of her head. Nick, too flustered to notice, continued to process what had happened, his eyes staring, unblinking. Her pajama bottoms were short, showing her thighs, there was a shaved patch of fur on her leg, where she had received her stitches.

"Nick? You alright?" Judy asked, whether she was oblivious to what she had done to him, or… "Start the movie. C'mon, you're acting weird."

Nick blinked back into reality, he had to make a decision: pretend, like her, that nothing happened, or react.

He reacted, "What was that about?" He asked, as smoothly as he could, which wasn't very smooth at all.

"What?" She responded, showing a hint of embarrassment. "I didn't want to walk all the way to the bathroom just to change my pants."

"I was sitting right here, you could have told me to turn around at least, give me a little— heads up— or—" Nick wasn't angry, not in the slightest. He was a mix of emotions, excited… confused.

"Oh, don't make such a big deal of it," Judy said, waving a paw at him dismissively and limping back over to the bed. "We're friends, it's not like we're strangers or anything."

 _Right, but you have no idea what I feel for you,_ He thought as Judy sat down next to him.

"But I'm a guy, carrots," Nick reminded, almost teasing, but his frustration threatened to show. He scooted closer to the wall to give her some room. "And a guy could get the wrong idea."

"You attracted to rabbits, then?" She said, and if Nick didn't know any better, he could've sworn she said it seductively.

He eyed her suspiciously, "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm attracted to gals in general."

"OK, OK," Judy relented, "I'm _sorry_. I won't change in front of you again, Nick."

 _Me and my big yapper_ , he thought, wanting to smack himself for speaking up.

"No, no, it's not _that_ —" Nick stammered.

"There's that phrase again," She interrupted teasingly, punching him softly on the shoulder.

Nick tittered nervously, "Right. Forget I said anything, I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget I was here."

Judy laid down on her stomach next to Nick. "Nick, why would I forget you were here? I'm really glad you came to spend the night, I just wish you were comfortable enough to not feel like you needed to sleep in all of your clothes. You don't need to make yourself uncomfortable for my benefit."

"Ahhh, so that's what this is about?" He said, raising an eyebrow at her. " _You_ wanna get _me_ out of my clothes."

"Whoa, there, slick. I just said you can sleep in your underwear around me, let's just start with that."

"Ah, and with that, I think we've discussed the topic of underwear enough for one night. How do you feel about a Freddy Kangarueger movie?"

* * *

Nick closed his laptop and got up from the bed. Judy had left to go to the bathroom, so Nick agreed to tidy up the room. They had accumulated a surprising amount of empty food containers during their two-day sleep over.

The door opened, and Judy hobbled into the room yawning.

"You really should be using your crutches," Nick nagged playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, I know— I just really had to go." Judy said, waving a paw at him as she limped over to her bed. "Besides, my good leg is strong enough to carry me."

Nick grinned to himself, "Yep, I don't doubt your strength, carrots."

Judy patted Nick on the arm as she walked by. Nick's nose twitched; a familiar smell. Not Judy's, but a bitter, almost chemical smell. It was subtle, but there. He thought for a moment to see if he could place where he knew the scent.

"I'm tired," She said, plopping into her bed and rustling to get underneath the covers. Then sat up to look back to Nick.

"Oh? The horror movie we just watched isn't gonna keep you up?"

Judy laughed, "Are you _kidding?_ That movie was cheesy!"

" _Cheesy?_ When I saw that movie as a kit, I was afraid to sleep for a week!" He drew out the words, knowing full well that the movie standards of yesteryear were lost on Judy.

"Hmm, yeah I can see that. I probably would have been too if I saw it as a kid."

"I'll find a movie that'll scare you, carrots, trust me." He finished picking up the last of the food containers and went over to sit on his bedding on the floor.

"Hmm, a challenge? OK, you're on. I don't scare easy, slick."

"We'll see on that one," He said. He caught Judy staring at his open mouth again as he yawned his toothy yawn. "So you really don't mind if I sleep in my boxers then? I got pretty hot last night…"

"Go ahead," She said, a hint of nervousness showing through, "I told you that you don't need to be uncomfortable around me. Make yourself at home."

"Hmm, if I was at home, I'd turn down the heat or turn on the air conditioner," He stood up from his bedding and took off his tie.

"Don't have either of those," Judy said cheekily, "I have a window that I can't figure out how to open and that broken radiator behind you."

Judy watched nervously as Nick unbuttoned his shirt. She tried looking away with no effect.

"Is that the only kind of shirt you have?" Judy asked, watching Nick as he took off his shirt and folded it neatly onto her desk. "Or do you just have a lot of the same shirt."

"The answer to both of those questions is: 'yes,'" he said as smugly as he could to hide his nerves.

"Seriously? Did you just buy them all in bulk?" She snickered.

Nick unbuttoned his khakis slowly, feeling self-conscious as he noticed Judy was watching him, just as he watched her when she undressed.

"Nope, they were a gift," Nick explained as he removed his pants. "Although I'm pretty sure they were meant as a joke. It's a long story."

Nick, in nothing but his boxers, quickly settled into his bedding to cover himself up, his embarrassment suddenly becoming too much.

"So, my leg is feeling a lot better," Judy changed the subject, sensing Nick's hesitation to tell his 'long story.' "I don't think I'll need my crutches tomorrow. And I know it's a late present, but do you want to go out to a restaurant? It'll be my treat."

Nick looked over, confused. "Present? Present for what?"

Judy gave him a bright smile, the smile that caused Judy's cheeks to bunch up, the smile that Nick loved seeing. "Happy birthday, Nick. It's August 23rd, right?"

Nick shook his head, _So, she did know_.

"I… saw your birthday when I looked up that information on you back in June," She explained, laying down on her pillow.

"When you were trying to find something to arrest me over?"

"Yep!"

Nick laughed, "It's a little late, but thanks. I guess you want me to pick the restaurant then?"

"You know the city better than I do," She affirmed.

"Probably better than anyone… but yeah, I know a place. If you knew all along, why didn't you say it earlier?"

"Was waiting to see if you'd tell me… Guess there's a reason you didn't?"

Nick thought for a moment, "Nope, no sad story to that one. You just stop caring when you reach my age."

"Nick, I'm twenty-four, you're only eight years older than me."

Nick felt a sudden relief, knowing that Judy didn't think much of their age difference.

"Nine, starting today I'm nine years older than you."

"Ehhh, not for long."

"When's your birthday, then?"

"Eh, too tired. Can't remember right now. Turn off the light, please." She closed her eyes.

"Ohhh, I see, you hustled me again, rabbit," he whined playfully as he reached over to turn off the light.

 _No one hustles Nicholas Wilde._

"I guess if you won't tell me when your birthday is, I won't tell you a secret tomorrow." His heart started beating faster.

Judy re-opened her eyes in the darkness. While she couldn't quite see Nick, he could see her perfectly well.

" _Tomorrow?_ " She whined.

"Oh! What happened to the tired, little rabbit? Thought you were all tuckered out." He said in a teasing voice, as if talking to a child.

"Ugh," Judy groaned, "Fine, my birthday is February 2nd. Now tell me!"

 _Knew that would get you._

"Sorry, but I believe I said _tomorrow_." He grinned satisfactorily to himself as he relished the look of anticipation on Judy's face, one she probably thought he couldn't see.

"Oh har har, fine, Nick." She relented, "You let me take you out to breakfast, and you tell me your secret tomorrow."

"I'm surprised you took my word for it, I didn't give you any proof as to whether I had a secret to tell."

"You are _full_ of secrets, Nick. I'm sure whatever you have to tell me will be worth it," she said, almost knowingly.

 _Does she know already?_

"Hah, I guess a I do know a valuable thing or two."

"Go to bed, Nick. The sooner tomorrow comes, the sooner you tell me."

 _No, there's no way she knows…_

"Uh-huh, hang in there."


	17. A Beautiful Day

**_Notes:_** _Here we are, 80k words in and we finally have what you've been waiting for. Thank you all for sticking with my story for as long as you have, I had no idea that when I set out to write this story on how slow burn it would be. Which I've gone ahead and added a tag for. I want to be clear that this story is_ ** _far_** _from over, and we're in this for the long haul. There are so many things I'm going to cover with these two and I plan on writing this story for a long time. I have to announce, that after the next weekly update next Saturday that I will need to reduce my updates to twice monthly, as I have many other projects including a game I've been working on.(Unfortunately no, the game is not a Wildehopps one :P) Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think!_

* * *

 _Friday, August 24th, 20X8_

 _Before Dawn_

 _Savanna Central, Judy's Apartment_

Nick shifted, slowly realizing he wasn't quite asleep anymore. He was hot, but in a different way than the previous night. Awoken from a dream, his mind was still filled with the strange dream-feel. Though it was gone, its memories had already left him. The specifics slipped from his mind easily, all but the idea of a certain bunny.

The short fluffy tail and two long ears, tipped with black fur. He took in a sharp breath, causing more reality to flood his senses. His eyes slowly opened realizing where his paw was, almost of its own accord. Embarrassed, he resisted the urge to continue stimulating himself. He slowly removed the paw from his boxers and out from his blanket, keeping both arms out and on top. The scent of his malehood caused his nose to twitch.

 _OK, Nick, deep breath,_ He coached himself, _Nothing wrong with a little sexual attraction, you've been through this before._ He breathed slowly, wanting very much to reach back into his boxers. _But if you keep this up, even a bunny could smell what's happening, if she didn't hear it already. She is sleeping a few feet away— not your brightest idea!_

Nick looked around the dark room, looking for anything to keep his mind off of the images of Judy's body. The room was bare, undecorated, uninteresting. He scooted himself lower in his bedding, keeping his paws in fists to keep control of his urges. He reached a comfortable position for looking out the tall window, out at the night sky.

The ambient light from the city prevented any meaningful stargazing, but he was able to see well enough. He stared for a moment, controlling his breathing, attempting to calm himself from the stimulation. Thoughts of the past few hours entered his mind.

Nick wasn't a shy mammal, and he wasn't particularly shy when it came to his body either. In fact, he had partaken in the lifestyle of the naturist at The Mystic Springs Oasis on more than one occasion. Not by lifestyle choice, but to merely experience what is was like to be nude in a semi-public setting. Nick did enjoy new experiences from time to time. He had no qualms on experimenting outside his comfort zone.

Yet Nick had to ponder on the reaction he had when Judy undressed in front of him, and when he had done the same for her. It wasn't that it made him too uncomfortable, more of an embarrassing excitement.

To be sure, in his youth Nick had found attraction in more than a few mammals, though he was mostly attracted to members of his own species. But this time was different, he found himself more and more enamored with the features of this bunny. The way her hips moved as she walked, the way her curves showed in almost any clothing she could wear, how she looked in her skin-tight police uniform—

Nick realized ironically that he had strayed from his goal of calming his raging hormones. Fruitless, he reached up to the desk for his phone, careful not to wake the sleeping rabbit.

He unlocked his phone, the brightness assaulting his vision before it quickly adjusted to the ambient light of the room. Nick's phone was adjusted for mammals with night-vision, so it dimmed to a brightness that would normally have been unusable by other mammals.

He checked his notifications.

( 5 Messages from Fin )

( 3 Messages from Mom )

He opened the messaging app and tapped to see the messages from his mom.

( I saw you both on the news! So proud of you, Nicky! )

( I told you that you two would make up, now tell that girl how you feel! )

( OK, OK, you're probably busy, I get what's going on. Nick's gettin' lucky tonight! )

Nick grinned, and covered his rolling eyes with his other paw. He checked the messages from Finnick.

( You guys blow up a train? )

( Dang dude, you guys blew up a damn train )

( And you arrested another mayor, you guys really hate mayors )

( Yah, mah boy Nicky got the girl! )

( WILL YOU TELL YOUR MOM TO STOP TEXTING ME ABOUT YOU GETTING BUSY! )

Nick stifled a laugh, turning off the phone. It worked, Nick had calmed down from his mid-sleep shenanigans and was ready to attempt sleep again.

"Hmmm, Nick?" A sleepy voice came from the bed above him.

 _Crap._

"Yep?" He replied.

"You awake?" Judy said groggily, looking down at him with barely open eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, uh, it's only three o'clock. I just couldn't sleep."

"You OK?"

"Mm-hmm, everything is fine. I can be a little nocturnal sometimes."

"Hmm, what does that even mean…" She drifted off.

Nick smiled at her as she fell back into slumber. _I don't even know, little puff. I don't even know._

* * *

 _Morning_

"You're going to need to dress warmer than that", Nick said as he put on a dark red scarf over his grey winter coat that he had brought in his duffle.

"It's not that cold out," Judy said, giving Nick a confused look.

"You forget this city has a nice little frozen district."

"The restaurant you want to go to is all the way over in Tundra town?" She asked, not entirely averse to the idea. It would be nice for her to actually do some sightseeing around the city, something she had not been able, or willing rather, to do since arriving.

"Mm-hmm," he replied, "It's my favorite restaurant in the city actually. That, and I prefer the snow." He looked at Judy, then down at her leg as he seemed to remember her injury. "Buuut, if you're not feeling up to it, we can go some other time. I can pick a different place."

"No, no," she assured quickly, "This is for _your_ birthday, I told you to pick the restaurant."

"OK, you're the boss!" Nick walked over to her and bent down to her eye level, giving her a warm smile. "Just make sure you put a coat on. There's a few things I wanna do in Tundra town, there's something I wanna show you."

Judy smiled back, "Sure Nick… you always have a way with mystery, don't you."

"Mystery? Are you saying you can't read me like an open book?" He asked suavely as he stood up straight and pulled out his phone. "I have a whole day for us planned— well, it's more of a vague outline, but I think it'll be fun."

Judy busied herself with finding what warm clothes she owned. "It sounds like fun, I _love_ vague outlines." She settled on a dark lavender coat with a white fluffy collar. The hood of the coat was shaped to allow her ears to either poke through or settle along the inside of it comfortably. She paired it with a simple pair of jeans, for lack of any better winter pants. Nick took notice how the coat seemed to hug her hips quite well.

"OK!" Nick clapped his paws together, trying to take his wandering mind off of Judy's form, "Ready?"

"Oh!" Judy said, grabbing her phone from her desk, "Ben texted me, he said that Chief Bogo's press conference about Bellwether's arrest is up on Zootube! Want to watch it before we go?"

"Hmm," Nick frowned for a quick second before his grin returned, "Chief Buff Beef decide to do one without us this time?"

"Well, I _was_ injured," she reminded, "Plus I think I've had my fill of speaking in front of a crowd of press, I say dumb stuff when I get nervous." She looked at Nick bashfully, almost ashamed, her ears dropped behind her head.

"Hey, hey," Nick walked over to her and put his paw on her back, leading her to the door. "That's all in the past, time to move forward. What do you say we take the train to Tundra Town? We can watch the conference on the way there."

Judy grabbed her headphones from the small table next to the door as they exited her apartment. "Sure, sounds nice."

* * *

"Mayor Bellwether was indeed arrested yesterday morning," Chief Bogo declared behind the podium on the video, "Along with several other mammals who are believed to be responsible for causing the savage outbreaks. They are currently being interrogated by the Zootopia Drug Enforcement and the Zootopian Department of Home Territory Security."

Judy held her phone up for both her and Nick to watch, sharing an earbud each. Nick's ears weren't shaped properly for Judy's smaller sized earbuds so he held his up to his ear. Rain started to patter against the windshield of the train as they began entering the Rainforest District. The two sat in a frontward facing seat, what few mammals that were in the train car with them kept to themselves.

"The case was cracked by Officer Judy Hopps, the ZPD's star officer, who was injured during the investigation and cannot be here today," Nick looked down at Judy, who was beaming with pride at being called a star officer. "She was assisted by Nicholas Wilde, a private investigator that was hired to aid the ZPD. Both were able to determine that the mammals going savage where _not_ doing so by any natural means. The savage outbreak was caused by a purified extract derived from the Night Howler flower. We've recovered a sample of the Night Howler extract that was used to cause the savage reaction in the victims. It has been turned over to the ZDE for analysis."

The two continued to watch as the Chief gave a very brief overview of their exciting ordeal, omitting the rather "less-than-legal" details, including working with Mr. Big to obtain leads, and the fact that Judy was not acting as an officer during the case.

"I want to assure everyone, that the rumor that Officer Judy Hopps had resigned from the force just a week prior to the arrest is untrue. She will be returning to work in late September when she has recovered from her injuries."

After watching the press ask a few questions, to which Bogo only gave vague answers, Judy closed the video.

"Star Officer Hopps," Nick teased, ruffling the fur on Judy's head. "I like the sound of that!"

"Agh," She leaned her head out of the way of the vicious ruffling and swatted at his paws. "I like the sound of Private Investigator Nick Wilde!" She snickered as she pocketed her phone and the attached headphones.

"Mmm, don't think I'll be a _private_ investigator for long. I really want to be a more permanent fixture in the ZPD."

Judy hummed at him, "And you will be! You just need to do really well in the academy!"

"Is there any doubt, little puff?" He said cockily. "As long as you believe in me, I can do anything."

The two shared another smiling gaze at the other. The only sound was the rushing patter of the rain on the window behind Nick. This longing stare was different; there was no urge to snap herself from it, no embarrassed reluctance, no uncomfortable awkwardness, only acceptance. Nick's grin slowly grew wider, eyes softer.

"The first time…" Judy started, looking between Nick and the tree-cityscape out the window behind him, "The first time I saw… all the different sections of the city. I knew this was going to be my home. This is were I was going to find my dream, my place, my new friends." She patted Nick on the arm with the back of her paw at that last word.

Nick tittered, "Did you know your new friend was going to tell you to give up and be a carrot farmer? And go back to your little 'carrot-choked Podunk'?"

Judy smiled at him, in thought, "Nope. Since I met you, you've always surprised me."

"Hah, in some bad ways, I'm sure."

"Sure, but in a lot of good ways. You have this way of… knowing things."

"Oh? What kind of _things_?"

Judy thought for a moment at what she meant by that. "You just have a way of knowing just the right things at the right time. What to say, what to do, how to act. I've never seen anyone do that before."

 _I've never…_ ** _met_** _anyone like you before, Nick._ Judy thought, deciding against vocalizing it.

Nick grinned at the compliment, and looked out the passing forest landscape. "It gets me in trouble way more than you think. I'm sure you can attest to that. I've said my share of hurtful things when we met."

"Yep, and I forgive you. Even the great Nick Wilde gets it wrong now and then."

The train entered a tunnel leading into Tundra town, the ambient greenish light of the forest was replaced with the dimmer interior lighting of the underground structure. And, just like that, the tunnel ended, and they were in a different world. White, bright, and clean.

 _Tundra Town_

The rain drops that were still streaking their way across the window froze in place, and frost began ebbing at the edges. The train made odd whirring and creaking sounds as it adjusted itself to the temperature change.

Judy watched in wonder, as if she had never seen the likes of it before. A look Nick thought to be curious, considering she had been living in this city since June.

"When I was a kid," Judy said, still in wonder. "I've probably only seen snow maybe once or twice. Never even got to _touch_ snow until I was training in the academy."

"The big column," Nick started explaining, knowing Judy had a curiosity for what he was about to say, "The one that controls the city's climate, the one that I told you reaches a mile underground. It's called the Conifer. It also has a more 'scientific' name; the Very Large Particle Exciter, or V-L-P-E."

Judy kept her view on the white landscape outside the train, tall buildings rushing by the windows. "Particle _exciter?_ How does it work? How does some big underground _pole_ control the environment?"

"Hmm, you got me there," Nick admitted, "Something about using the nitrogen in the air to make pockets of positive and negative pressure. It helps move thermal energy to and away from where it's needed. No idea how it does that from underground."

"Wow," Judy responded simply in awe, still watching the sparkling snowy cityscape. "I wonder if that's the same kind of technology that we use back in Bunnyburrow to keep farming weather going year round."

Nick got a gleam in his eye, "It's not just the same technology, the Tri-burrows is actually within range of the Conifer."

Judy finally took her attention from the world outside and devoted it to Nick. "Really? It can reach all the way out there?"

Nick chuckled, "Hmm, glad I got your attention. Yep, it controls the weather out there too. In fact, it even reaches all the way up to the Northern Federation, that's why it's always winter up there, the Conifer keeps it that way."

"OK, wait, wait, there's no way. I've never heard of this konnifur thing and I've lived in Bunnyburrow my whole life, we have weather control stations out there and—"

"Right, right, but those stations are only for finer precipitation control, to prevent things like rain and snow. The Conifer is what controls the temperature and even the air pressure. It's what creates the 'barrier' you see when it snows outside of Bunnyburrow but it's still warm weather within the farmlands."

"OK, so how come I've never heard of it?"

"Because most mammals don't really know about it."

"But how do _you_ know about it?"

"Because I know mammals that do, so therefore, _I_ know about it," He gave her a smug grin. "I do recall answering this question before, little puff. I know everyone."

"Now approaching Tundra Town Centre Station," an automated voice announced as the train started slowing, "Exit right for the Tundra Town Courthouse, exit left for street and sky tram access."

"This is our stop," Nick said, re-wrapping the scarf he had taken off around his neck.

"OK, OK, wait-wait, you have some explaining to do there, Nick." Judy said sternly, almost concerned. "I think you owe me an explanation for how you know these things."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, carrots." Nick said as the train came to a stop, he stood up. "But, I _do_ owe you a story. I'll tell you my story sometime, but for now, we've got a sky tram to catch. C'mon."

Judy got up to follow as Nick made his way to the left of the train towards the off-boarding door.

"You're full of surprises," She said, "I want to hear all about Nick Wilde."

Nick lead her outside, to the cold, bright Tundra Town daylight, "And I'll be happy to tell you, just give me time, little puff."

* * *

"I'm getting hungry," Judy whined playfully, "Where's this place you want to eat at?"

"Soon, soon!" Nick assured, "I just want to, uh… show you something first. It's one of my _secrets_ that you seem so intent on finding." He spoke teasingly, but almost mystically, as if tempting a child. Although, Judy knew he meant it in the best way.

The two were sitting in a sky tram car, functionally similar to the gondolas found in the Rainforest District. These ones were larger, longer, enclosed, and had varying seating sizes. It was warm inside, although the tram car they were in slowly passed other cars that seemed to be designed for mammals with different temperature needs.

The tramline made its way, just as some roadways, through several buildings. Arctic mammals, and warmly dressed non-arctic mammals went about their busy lives down below, and car traffic seemed to be moderate.

The protests, although not completely absent, seemed to have almost completely stopped. Instead of groups, even hordes, of marching protestors, there were now only individuals, sometimes only small handfuls of mammals protesting on street corners. A fact that both Judy and Nick seemed to glow at each other about. They had overcome a huge trial together, and now they were moving onto their next big challenge; getting to know each other.

"One of your secrets is in Tundra Town?" She asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow. As inquisitive as she was about the city she now called home, she was more curious about the mysterious Nick Wilde.

"Believe it or not, I lived a few years here in Tundra Town."

"So, you weren't always a pawpsicle hustler then?"

Nick scoffed, he feigned offense, "Just because that's what you saw me hustling that day doesn't mean _that_ was my only routine."

Judy gave him an amused, yet skeptical, look.

"OK," Nick admitted all to quickly, "It was the routine I mostly did when I was lazy… or when I knew I was being followed." He shot back a cocky look to the bunny, who rolled her eyes at him. "But, no, I wasn't always hustling pawpsicles."

"So… you weren't hustling when you lived here in Tundra Town?"

"Oh, no, I was still a hustler. Remember, I told you I've been hustling since I was a pre-pubescent tyke. But uh… pawpsicles aren't really a big hit in snow central. No, I hustled something else."

"What did you hustle? Hot chocolate?" She joked, but quickly noticed that Nick's smile had faded.

"We're here, puff." Nick said, preparing himself to stand, the tram car slowing. "C'mon, I promised you a secret."

* * *

Nick led Judy to a somewhat tall building, in what seemed to be a self-service storage complex, with a large outdoor freight elevator to reach the storage shutters on the upper levels. The catwalks along the side of the buildings were wide, as if freight trucks were intended to drive along them.

The two made small talk as Nick picked a level on the elevator. There were only a few other mammals in the complex, and it was rather quiet; only the ambient outdoor noise of not-so distant traffic could be heard.

Judy was beginning to understand Nick, she could tell that he really wanted to let her in, to tell her his story. But it was hard for him, it was as if she was the only one he had revealed himself to in a long time. Nick had Finnick to be sure, but it seemed like they had been friends for a long time. Judy was a new addition to his life, and in their time together, he had almost eagerly told her things that he normally would have only told his closest friends.

"You ready?" Nick said, stopping in front of a medium-sized storage shutter.

"Oh, just show me already, unless you're going to show me a bunch of dead bodies."

"Erm, on second thought maybe I shouldn't open this door then…" Nick joked.

"C'mon! You're killing me, Nick!" Judy rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

"OK, OK, calm down," Nick chided, pulling out his phone and pressing it against a pad on the right side of the shutters. "You bunnies, so aggressive."

The pad beeped and the shutters started opening. Judy watched in anticipation as she wondered what Nick wanted to show her.

The daylight reached into the storage unit. At first, it seemed empty, but then, towards the very back of the room, was a red car. The small red car seemed to be a coupe, and was the right size for a fox to drive.

Nick kept his eye on the bunny, waiting for her reaction.

"Nick," She almost whispered, "Is this yours? You have a _car_?!"

Nick simply nodded and gestured for her to follow him into the unit.

"But I thought you didn't like driving…" she pondered aloud.

"That doesn't mean I can't own a car," Nick said, almost amused at the absurd implication. "Although you're right, I don't like driving, which is why it's been sitting here for the last three years…"

"Three years?" Judy questioned. Despite being shown a new fact about Nicholas Wilde, it only raised further questions. Fairly confident those questions would be answered in due time, she was almost frustrated nonetheless. And while she was grateful— excited even to know more about her foxy friend; "You don't mind me asking but—"

"I don't mind you asking, little puff." He interrupted, still looking at his old car. "As long as you don't mind me changing the subject." He took a single key out of his pocket, grinning as he handed it to her. "Your leg OK enough to drive? I know we're both getting hungry."

Nick wanted to talk about his lonely past, and Judy wanted to listen, but both realized that old habits die hard. The wall Nick had built over decades to try to protect himself was hard for him to scale, and he desperately wanted to escape to the rabbit who was patiently waiting for him on the other side. She would ask questions until he would go no further, then she would gracefully bow out and allow the subject change... Whenever he was ready, she would listen.

* * *

Judy had parked Nick's car in an underground parking complex beneath a large outdoor shopping mall, something that each district seemed to have at least one of. The two walked and talked for a while as Nick led her to their next destination, a fancy two-story restaurant at the far end of the mall, situated in a way that it allowed mall and street access. A neon sign proudly presented its name: **Beartino's Ibexas Bar & Grill**, and its equally neon mascot, a large bear chef grilling a smiling fish.

Judy quietly noted how the neon signs, prevalent on most businesses in the Tundra Town, glowed against the snow and the white signature architecture of the snowy district. Nick held open the door for Judy as the two stepped inside.

"Hey, you two!" A bubbly Moose waiter greeted as they entered, Judy's ears perked as she noticed the recognition the moose displayed. "Ah, Officer Hopps, I'm humbled that you picked our establishment! Table for two, then?"

"Yep," Nick confirmed, "Do you happen to have a table on the T-Deck per chance?"

"I sure do! Come with me and we'll get you set up."

Judy was used to other mammals recognizing her. While being known as the first police officer of her species, even first in her size category, she had really been catapulted into the spotlight ever since the press conference for the missing mammal case. The more she appeared in the news, the more her fame, or what Judy would have considered at the time to be her 'infamy,' grew. Public opinion of her, mostly because of her depressed state at the time, was that she was a bunny of few words, or at least, she had few words for the ones responsible for her public image. She had cultivated such an image that mammals would merely observe her with a quiet respect, and that she wasn't the type to give out autographs or answer silly questions. This was a fact that she was intent on reversing, now that she was no longer dealing with her depression and self-doubt.

The two followed as the waiter led them up a flight of stairs. The restaurant had a dimly light atmosphere, decorated to look like the interior for a log cabin with chandeliers. Trophy fish on placards lined the wood grain walls. Several of the larger tables even had their own small fireplace.

"The 'T-Deck'?" Judy asked, confused.

"You'll see," he said, giving her his usual smile. An expression he used when he had a surprise waiting for her, something that he seemed to have in plentiful supply.

The waiter guided them over to an exit that lead to a open-air balcony, stepping outside and held the door open for them.

"Coat racks are on the wall for you folks if you'd like to leave them inside," The moose said, gesturing to the coat racks on the wall, varying in height.

"Uh, Nick, we're going to eat _outside_?" Judy whined. "I want to sit at one of the tables with a fireplace where it's _warm!_ "

"There's a table with a fireplace outside." He said smugly as he took off his coat and scarf and put it on the wall. "C'mon, it's for my birthday."

"Fine. But I'm leaving my coat on." Judy groaned as Nick stepped outside. "Who puts a fireplace _outside_ …" She grumbled under her breath.

Judy walked through the door, expecting the cold wind outside to chill her, but, to her surprise, the warm temperature from inside followed. Curious, and somewhat alarmed, she quickly looked around as the waiter led them to their table. Her nose twitched, her ears pointed forward as she tried to find an explanation. The balcony was warm, snow free, despite large icicles hanging from the roof of the building next door. The patio was fairly large, but only a few other mammals were outside.

"Uh… Nick?" She said, confused.

" _Yes_ , puff?" Nick said, giving her a sly grin, the Moose began seating them and placing menus on the small two seater table. "Something wrong?"

The waiter also gave a slight grin, as if knowing what Nick was doing.

Judy took a seat at the table, still looking around.

"Can I start you off with your drinks?" The moose asked, putting his hooves together.

"I'll, uh…" Judy hesitated, "I'll have some orange juice please."

"Water for me," Nick said, not taking his eyes nor his smug grin off of Judy. "I'll have a scotch as well, no ice."

The waiter gave a slight nod and walked back inside.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, with a grin on his face giving away that he knew full well. "You don't like the place?"

"N-no, it's uh… are we really outside? This feels strange…"

"Of course we're outside," Nick said in a drawn out, teasing tone, "Are you feeling OK, puff?"

"Ugh," Judy scoffed, giving him a furrowed brow, "Nick, stop. I feel dumb for not knowing how the city works."

"Dumb?" Nick raised a brow, "You mean like a dumb _bunny_?"

Judy reached out to swat at Nick's paws, which were clasped on the table in front of him. The two snickered.

"We're in a compression barrier," Nick explained to the curious dumb bunny. "A miniature one; there's a few of the nicer restaurants in this district that have Thermal Decks. It's expensive, but it's a really nice luxury."

"Wait, so that VLPE thing in the ground is what's making this patio warm?" Judy asked, intrigued.

"Not _making_ it warm," he corrected, "It's making an air compression barrier so that the heat stays in." He leaned out of the way as the waiter placed their drinks between them.

"You're going to have to explain that one a bit more, slick," Judy said, her curiosity showing in full force, "How does it work?"

"Told you, I don't science good. That's all I know."

"Oh, come on!" She whined. "You can't do this to me!"

"Hey, hey, I'm telling you the truth! I don't know how it works— but I do have something cool to show you."

"Nick," Judy said, her tone and expression turning curiosity to… contentment. "You've been showing me cool things all day."

Nick picked up the glass of scotch, and observed it for a moment, as if waiting for a question as to its purpose.

"They have good scotch, too?" Judy asked.

"Wouldn't know."

"What?" A look of confusion came over her, then amusement. "So Nicholas Wilde doesn't have a refined palate, then?"

"No palate at all for drinking, actually," Nick watched her face become perplexed once again, and continued, "Nope, tried drinking when I was younger. Never really did anything for me." He smiled at the glass of scotch.

"Then… what's the alcohol for?"

Nick simply stood up, and walked over to the balcony overlooking the street. He turned his head back to Judy.

"I know you're going to ask how this happens," he said, "I'm going to give you my answer in advance: 'No idea'."

He quickly chucked the scotch from the cup out into the air, arcing the stream over the balcony rail. It happened quickly, there was a spark as the scotch hit the air over the street below, then the liquid burst into a dense fog.

Judy gasped at the noise caused but the reaction. Judy noticed the fog attempting to come back into the air of the balcony, only to be blocked by some unseen barrier.

Nick walked back over to the table and sat down, setting down the now empty cup, taking in the shocked expression that had implanted on Judy's face.

"Nick! How did that—"

"—No idea."

"But why did—"

"—I don't know."

Judy sat for a moment, watching as the fog cloud slowly dissipated. The cloud was somewhat large, considering the small amount of liquid Nick had tossed to create it.

"OK, that was pretty frikkin' cool," Judy snickered.

Nick gave her a goofy grin in return, but continued observing her.

"So, you really have no idea why that happens?" Judy pressed, wanting answers. She was too captivated by the display that she was completely oblivious to the other mammals disturbed by Nick's antics.

"No idea," He reiterated. "But with the fog that appears, you can tell where the barrier is."

"Wow…" Was all Judy could say.

"Mm-hmm," Nick said smugly, taking a drink of water.

Judy took notice of how Nick's lips slid forward along his muzzle, pursing them in order to drink. She raised her eyebrows, dragging her view away from the sight, "Told you, Nick. You're full of surprises."

"Well, be that as it may, I would prefer to be full of food right now."

The two made small talk for a moment longer, switching between weather control and the dwindling protests. Judy eventually took off her coat, hanging in on the back of her chair. They ordered their food, and soon, the delicious scent of their meals was before them. Judy had ordered a somewhat complicated lettuce and bean salad, while Nick…

"What _is_ that?" Judy asked, watching Nick squeeze a lemon over his meal. "It _stinks_ …"

"Grilled salmon. Don't tell me you've never seen fish before either."

"Oh, I have, not often though. I've never eaten it, so I don't really find it familiar."

Nick put down the lemon and took a forkful, "Here, try a bite!" He said, reaching the fork over to her.

"Ack!" Judy said, waving it away. "I told you, it _stinks_!"

Nick ate the forkful of fish, relishing its taste. "Does it smell _bad?_ " he asked.

"Hmm, not bad… just strange."

"What happened to 'try everything'?" Nick teased.

"Nick, I'm a rabbit, I'm not supposed to eat fish."

"Says who?"

"Uh… My digestive tract? Natural order? _Basic science?_ "

"Oh, _yuck_ , science!" He said, continuing to dig into his fish. Judy noticed how Nick chewed his food, his foxy teeth coming into full use. He would lift a big forkful up to his muzzle, then carefully use one side of his canines to separate a few flakes. He then tended to make an odd 'smile' as he gnashed his back teeth into the delicious fish.

Nick noticed her staring. "Oh, uh. Sorry, carrots. I usually don't eat with bunnies present, I'll try to keep my mouth closed."

"It's OK, I don't mind, I was just, um…" Judy thought carefully about how to say that she was curious in how his teeth worked. She ended up saying nothing else, and dug into her own salad.

"So," Nick started, nervously, taking in a slow breath. "Judy, I wanted to ask you something…"

Nick was a fox that knew what he wanted, and he knew how to get what he wanted. But this time was different. In this moment, he wanted nothing more than the rabbit in front of him. But did she want him? Nick was afraid.

All his life, whenever Nick tried to reach out to someone, they would hurt him. Not everyone, but it happened more often than not. He longed for someone, someone to accept him, to be there for him, who he could be there _for_ … Someone to love him for who he was. With all his being, and despite their contrasting differences, he wanted this someone to be Judy. But Nick was afraid.

"What's up, slick?" She pushed gently, slowing her salad eating.

His heart thumped harder, faster, he could feel the throbbing organ push into his stomach, his lungs, his ribs. He put his paws on his lap, and balled them.

"Little puff…" he smiled at her, before looking away. "I, um…"

 _Little puff…?_ Judy thought, pondering on the name. _He's been calling me that all day. I like it, but…_ Judy's eyes grew wide, a sudden realization. She stared as Nick's face cycled through a myriad of emotions. Among them determination, longing, and pain.

 _Oh, Nick!_ She thought, smiling sympathetically. _It's OK, just tell me!_

Nick took in a breath, and let out a burdened sigh, his face finally settled on one of resignation. Nick was afraid. He simply gave her a forced smile as he took the fork and scooped up some more fish.

"Are you sure you don't want to try some?" Nick asked again, offering her the portion of fish. "There's a first time for everything!"

The words echoed in Judy's head. _First time for everything…_ It was her turn to take in a breath. She closed her eyes and let it out. Nick was frozen, a look of terror on his face, awkwardly holding the fish in the air. He had noticed Judy's change, and was unsure what to think of it; had he said something wrong?

Judy leaned forward, and opened her mouth. Nick fed her the fish and put down the fork.

Judy chewed for a moment, unsure what to think of the food. Its aroma was pungent, and _strange_ , but mixed with the lemon, it tasted… delicious. Accepting the flavor, she smiled as she swallowed the new experience.

"Mmm," she nodded, "Try everything, right?"

Nick returned her smile, and nodded, with the smile fading slowly.

Judy grinned, and her ears flushed warm and red, but she kept them standing, for him, for all to see. She had a hunch she knew what had him so worked up.

"Nick, look at me," She said. Nick complied. _What if I'm wrong? What if he's not…_ Judy thought, hesitating, her chest pounding. _Right, what else could he_ ** _possibly_** _be trying to say to me? This is it!_

"Nick, I think I know what you're trying to say and… I've been thinking… about you— and I… I feel the same way. I have feelings for you, Nick… I really like you and, I feel that we can be much more than friends." The smile Judy gave him melted him, he slowly straightened out, his whole body felt tingly.

His tongue caught in his throat as he tried to speak, almost choking. "You, uh, you do…?" Nick felt like a little kit. All fears, all doubts, washed away in an instant.

Judy nodded at him, smiling sweetly, showing her big rabbit teeth and looking into his emerald eyes.

"Hah, hahah! I mean great! Let's, uh…!" Nick cleared his throat, and looked at her seductively. "Sooo, _honey bunny,_ " Nick spoke in a comically low voice, "You wanna go grab dinner with me sometime?" Nick raised an eyebrow for effect.

Judy immediately burst into laughter, even after the train wreck of a confession he had pulled, Nick had managed to save himself with that goofy persona of his. Judy loved that about him, and it made her happy to see he could be himself around her.

"And the lady laughs— ugh! Such rejection!" He gave a self-deprecating smile back to her, content at watching the bunny laugh at his antics. Nothing could ruin this moment, this day, this beautiful day. He felt right, like this was what he was meant to do. Despite how badly he failed at his own confession, Judy had the perception and guts to beat him to the punch. "Serves me right for serving you up some fish instead of a heartfelt confession— Which… if you get sick from that, I'm sorry. The fish, I mean."

Judy giggled as the two basked in their own 'compression barrier,' created by the warmth of their newfound feelings for each other.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, I only ate a little," She assured, the smile on her face threatening to become permanent. A fact that Nick would not have minded in the slightest.

"What do you say we finish our food and head out?" Nick offered, "There's one more surprise I have for you today. We can go for a walk to get there, if you're feeling up to it."

"Full of surprises…" Judy repeated, shaking her head. She reached out and put a paw on his, taking a moment to feel his fur. He upturned his paw and took hers, small and velvety, into his. "I'd like that, Nick. Do I get to hold your paw?"

"Anything for you… little puff."


	18. The Scent of a Rabbit

**Notes:** Please excuse the lateness of this chapter. There's so much sap in it. I'm so sorry for the sap... so much sap... Anyway. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

August 24th, 20X8 - The Scent of a Rabbit

 _Friday, August 24th, 20X8_

 _Noon_

 _Tundra Town_

Nick held on to the small rabbit paw, which was gripping him back equally, if not tighter. The two walked through the town, Judy paying attention to the quirks of the frigid district. How mammals rode on ice blocks in little rivers through town, how the neon signs of nearby businesses reflected off the white architecture, and how vehicles seemed to drive perfectly well on roads seemingly made of pure ice.

Their height difference was made more apparent as they held each others' paw, Judy was much shorter and the top of her head, not including her ears, only came up to Nick's chest. His paw reached down to her elbow, so Judy's arm was bent at a 90 degree angle as she held on to Nick's paw.

Judy felt the larger fingers of his paw as they walked; she was curious about the black pads he had, as well as his claws, which were fairly dull, a fact she was not expecting. To even her own surprise, she felt slightly… disappointed that Nick did not have razor sharp claws.

They had spent sometime wandering around the busy snowy sector, passing by one interesting landmark after another. The two were too enraptured by their own emotions to pay them any mind.

"I think some mammals recognize you," Nick said. As they walked, there were curious passerby that looked at the newly-forged couple. "Got some raised eyebrows looking our way."

"Let them look," Judy said confidently, almost boastfully, "I want everyone to see. I don't want to keep you a secret."

"Heh, I can't say I've ever had someone say that about me before."

"What was that you said? 'There's a first time for everything?'"

"I _did_? Why I don't recall ever saying such a silly thing," Nick said teasingly as he squeezed her paw tighter a few times. "Surely, I don't think we're the first rabbit and fox couple."

"Maybe not, but your _my_ first fox _boyfriend_ ," she said, drawing out the word boyfriend as if the word brought more pleasure the longer she said it. She gripped his paw a few times back.

Nick let out a pleased hum. "We're already using that word, huh?"

Judy was beaming at the aspect of having a Nick as her boyfriend. The idea of having a boyfriend was exciting all on its own, but the idea of having a _fox_ as a boyfriend was exciting further. Yet it was the idea that _Nick_ was _that_ fox that made gave her the most excitement. Judy was to enter the next phase of her life with none other than her best friend, and her future police partner, and at present, her boyfriend.

The two wandered into a snowy park, one with winding paths, tall hills, and plenty of looming pine trees. Passersby still gave them a curious look, but, as per previous mentioned public image, they let the two lovebirds be.

"It's your turn, Nick!" Judy chirped excitedly.

"My turn for what?" Nick feigned ignorance, knowing full well what she wanted.

Judy patted Nick rather roughly on his arm with her free paw. "I called you my boyfriend, it's your turn now."

"You want me to call _you_ 'my boyfriend?'" He teased.

"Ugh, you're so infuriating sometimes."

" _Sometimes?_ I guess I'm not doing as well as I thought."

"Niiiick…" She whined. She longed to hear him say it, to feel the same warmth that she felt when she had used the word for him.

"Fiiine, you're so pushy!"

"Well, as you said, us rabbits can be so 'aggressive,'" she teased slowly through her teeth. The two continued walking for a spell, Judy in a tense anticipation.

"Judy, little puff, I officially proclaim you to be my girlfriend."

"Wow, OK, that wasn't really what I was—"

"—My **amazing** , **beautiful** , _cute_ girlfriend."

Judy tugged at Nick's arm and hummed at him. "You do these things on purpose."

"I do _everything_ on purpose. I see you don't mind me calling you cute, then?"

"We'll see, just don't make a habit out of it. Especially not when we're in public."

"I guess don't get what the problem with it is, but… you're the boss."

"We can talk about it some other time," she said. Knowing Nick had the best of intentions, she thought for a moment. "I don't mind being called amazing though…"

"Hmm! Amazing it is!"

The two came upon a small open clearing, bordered by trees and lined with a few walkways that were clear of snow. As they basked in their new relationship, nothing could interrupt the two who continued to talk about whatever happened to cross their minds. They eventually took a seat on a bench, still holding hands, as if atomic bonds had formed between them. It began to snow very lightly, the falling snow flakes small and almost unnoticeable. The sun slowly hid from view as the overcast sky lightly blanketed it away. The park was still alight despite the overcast.

"So, uh," Judy said, trailing off slightly. "Where's this surprise you mentioned? Are we close by?"

"Oh, it'll happen soon, we just need to wait for it here."

"What is it?"

"Wouldn't really be a surprise if I _told_ you."

"You're the one with all the surprises," Judy huffed, "I don't even have anything to give you for your birthday."

"Eh," he shrugged. "Never really been big on the whole present thing anyway."

"Hmm, actually…" She said, embarrassed her ears flushing red. She debated on keeping her ears up for Nick to see, but ultimately decided against it. "There is one thing I have for you. My dad brought it when he came by yesterday. I was saving it for when we got back to my apartment… if— if you were still planning on staying… with me tonight."

"If there was any doubt, I'll just clear that up right now. There's no where else I'd rather be than with you, little puff."

"Agh," she shook her head, she could feel her face get hotter. "Nick…"

"What?" Nick said, looking down at her, he rubbed the tiny paw that he held in his with his padded fingers. "Something I said?"

"No… Well, I mean, yes. I'm just not used to you talking to me so… _nicely_ …"

"Well, you'll have to get used to it. Because it's all downhill from here, now that we're together."

Judy let out an embarrassed laugh as she gripped the fox's thumb. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll get used to it, I just… this is all new to me. I've never really been involved with anyone, or even _interested_ in anyone."

Nick snickered, "I'm not really surprised by that, honestly."

"I suppose you've had a girlfriend before me, then?" She looked up at Nick inquisitively.

Nick raised an eyebrow, "Really? You want to start out our relationship by discussing _my_ previous exes?"

"Right! _See_?!" Judy pushed into Nick slightly, "I don't know what I'm doing, I'm just gonna keep saying dumb bunny stuff."

"True," he agreed, letting go of her paw and bringing his arm around her, pulling her close. "But your _my_ dumb bunny now."

Judy groaned, covering her face with her paws, her ears retreating behind her head. "Ahh, I need to get used to this. I need to get used to this."

Nick laughed as he patted the embarrassed bunny on the head, tenderly. "You should've prepared for this the moment you decided to tell me your feelings for me. Quite the leap you took there, by the way."

"Well…" She put her paws down, "I actually knew they'd be reciprocated beforehand."

Nick raised a brow, "You did, huh? Was I that obvious?"

"You? _Obvious_?" She chuckled, "No, no, this was something else you said."

"Something I said?" He prompted, his own ears splayed back in confusion.

"Yeah… two nights ago, the first night you slept over. You were talking to Pronk in the hallway." She began to mimic Nick's voice: "'Am I in a romantic relationship with her? No, no I am not,'" She looked at Nick, emphasizing her next words. "'I guess we'll _see_ on that one though.'"

Nick gulped, "How did you hear _that_?" He asked, embarrassed. "I wasn't talking that loud, and your door was shut. And—"

"Nick…" She interrupted, as if she was going to tell him a secret. She looked him dead in the eye.

"I," Judy slowly started raising her ears, still bright red, ever so slowly. She widened her eyes with dramatic effect, just as subtly as her ears straightened.

"Hear," She whispered deliberately, slowly. Her ears reached their peak, upright position, her eyes were alert, piercing.

" _Everything_." She drew out the word mercilessly as her eyes, now completely round, darted left and right.

"OK!" Nick said, nearly laughing, but also slightly uncomfortable. "I _got_ it, stop being creepy!"

Judy immediately lost her composure, lapsing into a giggling fit.

"Hmm, funny," Nick grinned at the tittering bunny, snickering lightly himself. Nick was still unsettled, but not from what Judy had said, but the way she slowly raised her ears for him. He found himself questioning how it made him feel and paused, watching Judy's ebbing laughter. Eyeing her ears for a moment longer, the realization of the feeling clicked in Nick's mind with a slight shock: Arousal.

 _Huh,_ Nick thought, _Guess I'm an ear guy now…_

A distant sound interrupted Judy's giggling. It filled the air with a rumbling hiss, then another simultaneous rumble, then another.

Judy's ears directed themselves in the direction of the disturbance. In the distance, in the sky over the buildings and hills of the park, several pillars of clouds billowed upward.

"It's starting!" Nick spoke over the sound.

She simply observed, watching the pillars rise ever higher, reaching into the sky. Then, just like that, the rumbling stopped, leaving the slowly rising pillars.

"And those do…" She paused, waiting for the answer, looking around in the sky.

Nick sat silently, grinning.

The sky darkened as the clouds above became fuller, more overcast. For a moment, it seemed that was the only effect, until the snowfall increased. There was no wind, no sound as the falling snow became heavier, thicker.

"Wow…" she awed, reaching a paw out to catch a descending flake.

"You have stuff like that in that hometown of yours, carrots?" Nick said, putting a leg over the other.

"No…" she admitted, still mesmerized by how thick the snowfall had become. "I can't believe I've lived here for three months and still the city has the way to amaze me like the first day I came here…"

"I take it you didn't come into Tundra Town, much?"

"No. Other than the first time I came here with you. And maybe once or twice on a dispatch call, but it wasn't snowing any of the times I came here."

The two sat for a moment enjoying the quiet scene with only the occasional mammal walking by. Judy shivered.

"Getting cold?" Nick asked, "Wanna head back to the car now?"

"Nick…" Judy started. "I want you to know… how much you mean to me."

"Hmm, I think I've got a pretty good idea already."

Judy reached into her pocket. "I want you to read this letter."

"Letter?" Nick tittered, "I'm sitting right here, puff."

"I wrote this letter while I was in Bunnyburrow. It's to you, but… I wasn't going to send it."

"You wrote me a letter," Nick repeated, trying to make sense of what she was saying, "But you didn't intend on me reading it?"

Judy sighed, fiddling with the folded letter in her paws. "While we were… separated, I had a really hard time. My parents told me that I should try writing you a letter, even if I didn't send it. Just so I could get my emotions out, to get some closure, at least with myself."

She sat for a moment, unsure if she was ready to hand over the letter.

Nick watched as Judy grew silent. While he had forgiven her, and let go of misery and loneliness from their time apart, it seemed that she was still wrestling with the guilt she felt from causing their separation. It must have still been on her mind even now. Was it really that hard on her? Harder on her than it was on him? He looked around the clearing where they sat. They had privacy with the trees and snow around them, more or less.

"Let me see that, carrots," He said, holding out his hand for the letter. She handed it over after a short hesitation.

He opened the letter and began reading;

 _Nick,_

 _Here I am, writing you a letter when I should be telling you this face-to-face. I'm such a coward. I've turned in my badge and left the force, and I'm back home in Bunnyburrow. You worked hard to help me keep my badge, but here I am, giving it up. I can't tell you how sorry I am._

 _I miss you so much, Nick. I broke everything. My dream, our friendship, the city. All because I thought I could be something I'm not. I was a horrible friend, and I hurt you, and I deserve everything that's happened. I was naive, just like you said. I really was just a dumb bunny after all._

 _Out of everything that I've lost, losing you is what hurts the most. I want to tell you how sorry I am, how angry I am at myself. And I don't blame you for not wanting to have anything to do with me._

 _Even though our time together was short, you were one of the best friends I've ever had. You believed in me, and stood up for me, and I wouldn't have had the chance to prove myself without you._

 _I tried, Nick. I promise that I tried to keep going, I tried to fix what I broke. But I just couldn't do it anymore. Please don't worry about me, I'll get the strength to try again someday, just not right now._

 _So, goodbye Nick. I hope you have a good life and can keep trying to be more. You are more, more than a con-mammal, more than a pawpsicle hustler. I hope you always remember that at least._

 _-Judy_

Nick, having finished reading the letter, looked down at Judy.

"Nick, I want you to know—" She started.

But she couldn't finish. Nick had his paws on her cheeks and quickly pressed his lips onto hers.

"Mmm!" She said surprised, Judy's eyes went wide, then grew heavy. "Mmm…"

The kiss was awkward, but passionate. Nick felt for Judy's mouth using the front of his muzzle, trying to find the best angle. His wet nose huffed at her.

Judy reached up a paw to feel all along his chin, feeling how his lips moved forward to purse into the kiss. Her other paw reached up to feel Nick's on her cheek. She moaned softly, pushing herself into the kiss.

And just like that, the kiss ended. Nick pulled away, his eyes locked onto her half lidded ones. She was in a daze, her mouth left in the same position as if they were still kissing.

"Judy… I—" Nick panted softly, his eyes passionate, yet remorseful. "I will _never_ leave you behind again… OK? I promise."

"Nick…" she whispered as she smiled slowly. "You dumb fox. You interrupted me."

"I mean it," he reiterated, pulling her close, embracing her, resting his cheek on her head. "I promise."

"OK," She said quietly, still in a daze. "Me too… I promise, too…"

Judy leaned her head onto Nick's chest, sighing happily, saying nothing else. The two sat longer, the falling snow simply a background to each other's company.

* * *

 _Evening_

 _Savanna Central, Judy's Apartment_

Judy let herself fall back onto her bed, still wearing her coat. She let out a dreamy sigh.

"I take it you had fun?" Nick asked, undoing his scarf and hanging it up.

"Oh, no," Judy said sarcastically. "Today was really _boring_. Our first date was so boring that I almost _died_."

" _Almost_?" Nick scoffed, taking off his coat. "Just wait until I take you out the second time."

Nick and Judy had spent some time driving around in Nick's car after watching the snowfall at the park. They didn't really go anywhere in particular, but Nick enjoyed watching her appreciate his old car.

Judy simply laughed and sat up, taking off her coat. "Well, since were dating," She said almost provocatively, "I guess it's OK to change in front of you now?"

Nick gulped, he could feel the heat well up within him. "You do this on purpose…" He whined.

"I do _everything_ on purpose," She mocked, mirroring what Nick had said earlier. "So is that a 'no,' then?"

He walked around her to lay on the bed, his arms behind his head. "It's funny. I'm the one who brought you to the naturalist club, but it seems I'm the one who gets more embarrassed undressing in front of you."

Judy hummed as she picked out more comfortable clothes, "So, I have to come clean about something."

Nick sat up, propping himself up on his elbows. "What's that? Did you start going to the naturalist club without me?"

Judy gave a sheepish smile as she pulled her pants off. "I kinda _did_ change in front of you yesterday on _purpose_ …"

Nick gulped again, his eyes locked on the undressing bunny. "Hmm, is that so? You knew I had feelings for you…" He sat up, now leaning forward in an attempt to conceal his quickly changing malehood. He hoped the bagginess of his shirt would be enough to drape over his pants.

"Well, that's why I did it actually," She pulled on her short pajama bottoms. "I knew you liked me but, I was worried that you wouldn't be— or _couldn't_ be attracted to me…" She came and had a seat next to Nick. She sat close, closer than she would have the day before.

Nick put a paw around her, "Well, let me just set the record straight then; I have it really bad for you."

Judy gave her usual hum of approval. "I know, but I'm glad to hear you say it. I, um… I find you attractive, too."

"Had a feeling," He grinned, laying back onto the bed. "Lots of mammals find me sexy, I don't blame you, little puff."

Judy snickered at that as she laid down next to him, leaning her head gingerly on his arm, "Hmm, 'little puff.'"

"You OK with the new nickname?"

"Hmm, do I like your affectionate nickname for me? Yes, yes I do… I _should_ find it derogatory, but when you say it… I like it."

The two laid on the bed for a moment. Judy listened to Nick breathe, his heartbeat.

"That's it!" Nick said suddenly.

"Hmm? What's it?"

"I know what movie will scare you," He grinned devilishly. "Get ready. Tonight, we're watching Fawn of the Dead!"

* * *

 _Night_

"This isn't over!" Nick said, yawning and stretching out. "I'll find a movie that'll scare you! Although I was sure that would've done the trick…"

The two had assumed their usual movie watching position, albeit much closer together.

Judy rolled her eyes, "Nick, that movie was so fake, you could tell the mammals were props when they started chopping heads off with machetes."

"That's what I get for showing you the original," Nick closed his laptop and stood up, stretching some more. "That's OK, we'll watch the remake sometime."

"Why didn't we just _start off_ with the remake?" Judy said, it was her turn to yawn.

"We can't just watch all the good movies on this tiny computer screen," Nick said as he placed the laptop on Judy's desk and began undressing for bed. "I still have to take you to my favorite place to watch movies."

"Aha, speaking of which— I think my leg is finally good enough for you to show me where that is."

"Patience," Nick placed his paws together, as if mimicking a zen master. "For I have many secrets to show you. So many that they cannot possibly be shown in one day, lest you die of… ' _boredom_ '."

Nick lost his composure as the two laughed.

"You're full of surprises, Nick." She said, dreamily watching the now undressed fox adjust the bedding on the floor. "Wonderful, amazing surprises."

"So you keep saying," He grinned. "I have a bad side too, you know. So don't go expecting me to be perfect."

"Eh," she shrugged, her head still laying on her arms. "No one's perfect."

Nick laid down on his bedding, "You say that now, but soon you'll realize that I'm _further_ from perfect than most."

"That pessimism is a place to start."

"Oof!" He held a hand up to his chest, "And already my facade begins to crumble."

Judy smiled sleepily as Nick reached to turn off the lamp on the desk, "Nick?"

Nick stopped, turning his attention back to her.

"Do you…" Judy gently nibbled on her lower lip with her rabbit teeth before continuing. "Do you want to sleep on the bed… with me tonight?"

* * *

Judy had fallen asleep nuzzled into the crook of his arm. She was resting on a pillow tucked under his own due to their height difference, with his head perched above hers, her ears flopped over lazily across his muzzle. She was facing away from Nick, her form fitting against his stomach and her legs bent up towards the side of the bed. Nick found his own legs bending up to cradle against hers, though the length of his lanky torso made it an awkward match. Her ears would twitch occasionally, a quirk Nick found endearing. He was glad of his nocturnal tendencies if it let him savor this time with Judy.

As he held the sleeping bunny, his eyes moistened, and a smile appeared on his muzzle. In that moment, Nick realized he felt something he hadn't in a long time. Trust. Trust in Judy, and trust in their relationship. No matter what happened from then on, Nick was sure they could endure, overcome, and be happy.

But what made him think that she would always be there? That she would never disappear from his life as so many had? That didn't matter. Nick was content in this moment, and come what may, he would hold onto this memory. Judy was right, pessimism was unbecoming of him. He much preferred his new-found optimism.

Ever since Nick was a kit, he wanted to find his place, to find where he belonged, where he could be accepted. And it was here, laying next to Judy, holding her small, yet strong, form. All Nick ever wanted, for as long as he could remember, was _right here_ in front of him. Finally, in his grasp, manifest, solid, _real_. So real, yet unreal.

With this slow dawning realization, Nick felt his heart beat harder, his lungs demanded a sharp inhale, which he was powerless to resist. The sudden realization of this buried yet desperate longing made Nick want to melt. He wanted to scream, his fox instincts threatening to overpower him. He fought to stifle them, not wanting to wake her. He resisted the urge by looking down at her peaceful sleep.

He rubbed his paw up and down her velvety stomach, affirming to himself that: yes, Judy was real, she was alive, and she was warm. She had sought him out to apologize, trusted him with her life, and believed he could be more than just a con-mammal. More than that, she invited him into her own home, her hidden affections, and then… her _bed_. He gripped her tighter, scooting ever so closer to her.

Her stomach was small, his paw nearly wrapped around the small curve of her waist. She was short compared to him, her head tucked under his own. With their waists mismatched, her legs also ended before his. She seemed too small to hold, yet to Nick, she _felt_ anything but small. Beneath her velvety, well-groomed stomach fur, despite her small sleeping form, she felt strong, muscled. He spent some time feeling her midriff and hips, but dared not venture elsewhere. Appreciation, attraction, and warmth bathed him as his senses experienced his new girlfriend.

Nick took in her scent, with all the complexities he couldn't pick up before. The oils of her fur and skin, and something else… Something that didn't quite match with the rest of her natural rabbit smell. Chemically, he thought, almost like… _The feminine anti-scent!_ He recalled, _She's been wearing it all day… And yesterday, too… when…_ She had put it on after she first changed in front of him. Maybe she realized undressing before a predator with a far keener sense of smell would reveal too much of her own attraction. But now it was wearing off, her natural scent was coming through. He relished every breath of it.

It was clear now she did have an attraction towards him. With this revelation, he found himself increasingly unable to resist the allure of ZPD Officer Judy Hopps. Nick had fallen for her, and had fallen hard.

 _I'm yours, Judy,_ he thought to himself, reveling in the blissful cocktail of emotions. _For as long as you want me, I'm yours._ He mouthed the words that he spoke in his mind, almost vocalizing them. _If you wanted me to hold you forever, I would. I'd never let you go._


	19. Loose Ends

**Notes:** In an effort to keep Contrasts SFW, I have moved the explicit chapter that comes before this one to a new story called Stark Contrasts. Due to restrictions, I cannot post a link to them. Please check the new series I've created called Tails of Zootopia. Link in the description.

I will outline which chapters go where for easy timeline keeping-togetherness.

 _Stark Contrasts chapter 1 occurs before this chapter._

Note: Please do not feel pressured to read that story if you are not comfortable with explicit content. I will do my best to keep the storyline for Contrasts and Stark Contrasts exclusive to each other. There is no harm in skipping the explicit stories.

 **6/18:** Edited "Voleone" to "Moleone". Explaination in Chapter 4.

* * *

"Mom?"

Morgan, just about to turn off his bedroom light, turned to face her son. "Hmm?"

"Why did you change your name?" He asked, now sitting up in bed, still underneath his blanket. "Your last name, I mean… now we have different last names."

Morgan walked back over to her inquisitive son and took a seat next to him.

"Well, kiddo," She started, not entirely sure how to explain, but not wanting to lie either. "Hmm…"

"Is it because dad left?" He asked, no longer tired.

 ** _23 Years ago_**

 _Tuesday, September 5th, 19X4_

 _Night_

 _Savanna Central, Nick and Morgan's home_

"No…" she replied, but hesitated. "Well… Yes. I changed my name back to what it was before Francis— your father and I got married. My maiden name: Oriat."

"Do you… do you not like dad anymore?"

"It's… _complicated_ ," She looked away, partly in thought of how to explain the situation to a young one, but also in shame… regret at how things had turned out between her and her ex-husband. "Kiddo, your dad chose… a _different_ life. A life that wasn't... _safe_ for you and me."

"He chose another life over… over me? And you?" He asked, hurt apparent in his face as he fidgeted with his paws. "He doesn't love us anymore?"

"Nicky…" She wasn't going to lie anymore, but she wasn't about to tell Nick that Francis didn't love him. She gulped hard, in preparation of the truth. "Nicky, mommy doesn't love your _father_ anymore…"

Nick quickly looked up to his mother, his eyes full of shock and tears.

"Wha— what?" He asked, his voice shaky, confused. "Wh— _why_? I thought…"

"Honey…" she put a tender paw on his cheek. "Your dad… he's not coming back… I gave him a choice. I couldn't accept the life he chose. So I told him it was over."

Nick didn't say anything, merely looking at his mother with a slight frown. Eyes glossy, ears lowered. He took his mother's paw into both of his and laid it on his lap, staring at it.

"I will always love you," Morgan assured, knowing what Nick was probably thinking. "I know you think—"

"That's what dad said…" Nick said, voice threatening to break down. "Dad said that… now he's gone… and you don't love him anymore." Nick was angry, confused, hurt, and had been for a long time. Ever since Francis walked away and was never seen again. "And now we don't even have the same last name anymore!"

She sat silent, again unsure how to assuage her son's fears that she too would disappear from his life. She cursed Francis for hurting Nick. She wanted to hurt him back, to get revenge on him for leaving his young son behind. Leaving _her_ behind.

Morgan didn't want to cast blame on Francis, but she didn't want to lie. She was caught between a rock and hard place.

"Nicky," Morgan began, tenderly. "Mommy will _never_ go anywhere… I will _never_ stop loving you. I'll always be here for you, OK, kiddo?"

Nick didn't respond. He simply sniffed, and looked down. Nick cried a lot; he had ever since Francis left. He was tired of crying. Tired of letting his mother see him cry.

Morgan simply looked at her son in understanding. He was having a crisis. He was trying to be strong, but he didn't know if he could trust his own mother when she said she loved him. What would keep _her_ from disappearing? She didn't think about the effect of reverting to her maiden name would have on Nick. And she was now regretting it.

"Tell you what…" she relented, sighing, rubbing Nick on the head with her paw, her other still being held by Nick. "I'll change my name back to yours, so then we can be the Wildes again. Just to prove to you that I won't go anywhere."

Nick sniffed, and smiled at that, still looking down at the large motherly paw in his lap. He shook his head.

"No…" He looked up at her, "It's OK mom. I believe you. You don't need to do that."

"Are you sure? It's not a big deal. I didn't really think about how changing my last name would upset you."

Nick shrugged, still smiling at her. "It's just a name, mom. I dunno… I guess…" his smile faded and he resumed looking down at her paw. "I guess me and dad never really… he never really… seemed happy when me and him spent time together. Like… like he didn't really like me."

"Ohh, Nicky," She said comfortingly, "Nicky your father did— _does_ love you." There it was. She did it. She lied. She couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. Her heart hurt… _burned_ , to know the horrible truth and not be able to tell him.

Nick shook his head again. "Maybe… but it never felt like it…" his eyes threatened to tear up again, so he closed them tightly. A pained grin appear on his face. "When the three of us were together, he would ignore me… only talk to you. Like I didn't _exist_." Nick didn't cry. His forlorn face was one of acceptance, of resignation. As if he had known all along.

Again, Morgan was at a loss for words. Nick was stronger than she gave him credit for. And he would need to be, simply because he was a fox; he would need the strength to deal with the world's misconception and stereotype of his species. But to have the strength to be rejected by his own father… she couldn't have imagined that this is how things would have turned out.

"But you're here for me, mom." He looked up, smiling once again. "I don't need dad. I know you won't go anywhere."

She returned his smile, emboldened by the bravery of her small child. If he could be so brave, so strong, then maybe she could be too.

"Never." She nodded resolutely, "I will _never_ leave you behind. Nope, not happenin'." She grabbed his sides playfully, causing laughter to escape him. He swatted her paws away.

"Morgan Oriat," He said, already trying to get used to her new… _old_ name.

"That's right, my little sunshine," she said sweetly, rubbing him on the head again. "It's good to see that smile of yours, I never want to lose the sunshine of my life."

Nick gave a fake disgusted look, "Ugh, you're so sappy, mom."

"I know, moms are sappy. And you know what they say about sap, it's also _sticky_ ," She teased, raising her paws up in the air at him, wiggling her clawed fingers, readying another attack. "So, watch out!"

"Ack!" Nick said, giggling, covering himself with the blanket.

"Ohh _noo_. Looks like you're safe for now, but that blanket can't protect you forever!"

The two laughed as Morgan poked random spots on the comforter protecting Nick.

"Oh!" Nick said, uncovering himself, "Mom, I just remembered. You know the Junior Ranger Scouts I told you about?"

"Mm-hmm?" She raised her ears at him in anticipation. "What about them?"

"They asked me to come to their meeting this Friday!" He said excitedly, "They want me to be part of their pack!"

"Oh, honey, that's great news!"

"But, um…"

"What is it?" She pressed.

"They need me to buy a uniform— and it's a little… expensive."

"Ah, I'm sure we can scrape together enough for it." She assured. It was true, the uniforms were a little pricey, but she was too proud of him to give it a second thought. "We'll go shopping for it tomorrow after school, OK?"

Nick nodded, he was beaming, a stark contrast to his forlorn energy from just a few minutes ago.

She kissed him on the forehead, thankful for the precious smile he wore. No matter what happened from then on, Morgan would be there for him. "Get some sleep, it's getting late."

* * *

 _Mothers only exist in hindsight, kiddo._

 _You've had a hard childhood— a hard_ ** _life_** _. I know. But against all odds, you're still here, and you still have hope. Life isn't about what you are, or even_ ** _who_** _you are. It's about what you_ ** _choose_** _to live for. What you_ ** _fight_** _for._ ** _Who_** _you fight for._

 _Don't fight to change the past. Fight for the ones you love, Nicky. And most of all, fight for yourself. Learn to_ ** _love_** _yourself… no matter what happens._

 _Stop holding on to all the pain, all the anger. Let it go. Fill your heart with love. And be happy._

 _Now wake up… wake up and remember your promise…"_

* * *

 _Wake up._

 _Wake up._

"… Nick…"

"Nick, wake up!"

"Nick you _really_ have to get up!"

 ** _Present day_**

 _Saturday, August 25th, 20X8_

 _Morning_

 _Savanna Cent—_

"Oh my gosh, Nick! _Come on_!"

"Errgh…" Nick groaned. He rolled onto his other side, his bunny no longer in his arms. This displeased him. His eyes opened wearily, blinking a few times. He had forgotten to take his contacts out before going to bed; they were dry, stuck to his eyes.

"Nick!" Judy pleaded, "Nick, we've gotta go!"

"Wha… where do we ' _gotta go_ '?" He asked, blinking until his contacts moistened, seeing Judy getting dressed in a hurry.

"This is the only day me and Bucky have off together!" A voice billowed from the room next door. "We're gonna have sex whether you two are still here or not!" The voice was almost antagonizing, _challenging_ them to stay and listen.

" _That's_ why…" Judy said, pulling on Nick's arm to rush him. "Hurry up, get dressed. You do _not_ want to hear them when they—"

"Hey!" The other voice behind the wall yelled, seemingly towards the other. "Don't tell them that! I don't want them to know what we're going to do!"

Nick realized the emergency and sprung from the bed, very amused at the crazy scene he had woken up to.

"They're going to _hear_ us doing it pretty soon anyway! It's not like there's any _privacy_ in this apartment…!"

Nick pulled on his pants and pocketed his phone.

"Will you two _shut up!_ " Judy yelled back, "We're getting ready to leave, just _give us a minute!_ "

"She just told us to shut up!" One voice yelled to the other, indignant.

"Yeah, maybe you _should!_ " The voice yelled back.

"No _you_ shut up!"

"I'll shut you up with _something_ pretty soon…" The voice suddenly took a turn toward the seductive.

"Oh, no…" Judy groaned. "Nick, c'mon!" She pulled on his arm, his shirt still not buttoned up all the way, his tie on his head, worn like a crown.

"Ach! I'm not dressed all the way yet!" He whined, not actually caring if he left the apartment half-dressed.

"Better hurry, Officer! There's gonna be a _domestic disturbance_ on hand pretty soon…"

"We're going, we're going!" She frantically assured, grabbing her keys from the desk and shoving them into her jeans' pocket.

"Bye, guys!" Nick called, being dragged away. "Don't enjoy yourselves _too much._ "

"You know we will!" They both called back in unison.

With that, Judy whisked her half-dressed fox out the threshold and shut the door behind them.

Nick finished buttoning his shirt as he grinned down at Judy.

She stood there for a moment, splayed across the hallway wall with her cheeks puffed out. She slowly let out the air in her cheeks with a sigh of relief.

"So." Nick said, putting his paws in his pockets. "What's the plan for today?"

Judy smiled and shook her head, "We'll have plenty of time to figure that out, slick. My apartment is off limits for the next few hours."

* * *

"I had a nightmare last night." Judy said as she drove Nick's car. "A zombie one. Probably from that cheesy movie we watched last night."

" _Cheesy_?" Nick scoffed, "Fawn of the Dead? Why do you keep calling every movie cheesy?"

"Why do _you_ keep picking cheesy movies?"

"I'll have you know the movies we've been watching are absolute treasures, they don't make movies like those anymore."

Judy laughed, "Probably for good reason."

"Oh, this isn't over. This isn't over." He humphed teasingly and crossed his arms. "I'm offended. _You hurt my feelings,_ puff."

The two had grabbed some quick breakfast and were now driving around aimlessly. After excusing herself for a phone call while they were eating, they were back on the road. They hadn't really decided on what they wanted to do today, merely enjoying spending time with each other. Judy wanted to use this opportunity to get to know Nick more. For as much as she knew about her new boyfriend, there were still so many questions to ask.

She grinned to herself, it was going to be so much fun getting to know Nicholas Wilde.

"So—" She started.

"I'm not talking to you," he grumbled, giving her a sideways grin, "I'm mad now."

"Oh, you foxes, so _emotional_ ," She mocked.

The two laughed. Nick let out his usual foxy toothy laugh as he pressed against her shoulder with the back of his paw, something he seemed to be in the habit of doing when he laughed. A fact Judy did not mind as his paw seemed to linger longer than usual.

"You're starting to think a lot like me," He said proudly. "Pretty soon you'll be a bunny version of me and then this relationship will really get interesting."

"Oh, no… Don't tell me you've got some narcissistic complex or something."

"Narcissism? Hmm, am I attracted to myself? Well, for one thing, I told you that I know I'm sexy, so maybe I am. Are _you_ attracted to me?"

"Well, if last night was any indication…" She said, embarrassed. "I still feel bad about that, I should've asked you first…"

Nick let out a chuckle. Judy had felt bad about touching Nick in his sleep, her curiosity getting the better of her. A fact that he had already assured her was OK after discovering her paw in his boxers when waking up from the 'disturbance'.

"Curiosity is nothing to be ashamed of, little puff," He reassured. "Although it was probably my fault. Guys can get a little… excited— even while they're sleeping. Turn onto this next freeway entrance, I know where we can go next."

Judy hummed nervously as she nodded. "Thank you though, for calming me down. I was pretty embarrassed."

"So you…" Nick hesitated, unsure how to ask the question. Although he was already pretty sure of the answer, Judy was a career-oriented rabbit after all. "You've never been with anyone before?"

"Hmm, nope. You're my first real relationship." Judy said as she turned onto the freeway's onramp.

"I figured," Nick said, acknowledging the reality that he would need to guide Judy on her journey through the world of 'adult relationships.' "Don't worry, carrots. We'll go slow. I want things to be right for you."

Judy hummed again, this time, appreciatively. "So… you're 'experienced,' then?"

"Mm-hmm, if you want to put it that way. But I can't say I've been involved with someone outside my species before. So I guess there's some new ground for both of us."

The two sat silently for a moment. Judy listened to the car purr as it glided along the freeway. She noted how pleasant the car was to drive.

"So, what about the nightmare you had?" Nick asked.

"Hmm? Oh— yeah. My zombie nightmare." Judy tittered. "I guess we got a little sidetracked from that, huh."

"Don't understand how a dream with zombies in it could be a 'nightmare'. Sounds like a pretty awesome dream to me."

"Mm— well, they weren't normal zombies." She explained, mentally acknowledging the irony of referring to zombies as 'normal.' "They were mammals that were going savage, someone was going around infecting all mammals with Nighthowler serum."

"Wow, that _does_ sound like a nightmare."

"Nick… do you think we're any closer to finding a cure? For the ones who're already afflicted?"

"Hmm, I'm sure I'm the wrong one to ask about that, puff," Nick answered, noticing the concern in Judy's voice.

"Emmitt Otterton is still… not himself. And Lutra called, uh— Mrs. Otterton called while we were eating earlier."

 _So that's who that was._

"She said that there were some tests being run on Emmitt," she continued, "But she's getting worried about their progress."

"Hmm, I can imagine what she must be feeling… Having her husband disappear for so long only to have him show up savage."

Judy drove in silence for a bit. She was worried. Worried that the mammals gone savage were now stuck that way. Worried that Lutra Otterton would need to live with the fact her husband was no longer… her husband.

"Hey, hey, carrots." Nick said comfortingly. "I'm sure we'll find the answer, Zootopia has the right technology. Just have a little faith in our pharmaceutical department." _Pharmaceutical department…_ The idea lingered in his head. _Were_ there some strings he could pull to help things along?

"The University of Zootopia has some of the best medical clinics in the world." He continued, "And it's not like you to stress yourself about these things. There's a solution, and they'll find it, trust me."

Judy gave a quick approving look at him, "Is that optimism I hear?"

"Why, I think it is. What have you _done to me,_ rabbit?"

"Hmmm, I like it. It suits you, Nick."

* * *

 _Before noon_

 _Tundra Town_

"This is really weird…" Judy said nervously.

"Huh? What is?" Nick asked, knowing full well what she meant.

"Driving at high speeds on this icy freeway… The car doesn't slide at all. And I'm constantly on guard about it."

Nick chuckled, "Told you, carrots. All cars sold in Zootopia are required to have tire coils."

"I know, but it still makes me nervous."

"Oh, you'll be fine." Nick assured, "Besides, we're almost there."

"Any reason why we're driving towards Tony's villa?" She asked. "I didn't bring my coat…"

"One very good reason: we're going to see Mr. Big." He answered, "I figured you could use a visit, seeing as you're the Godmother to his daughter's future child."

"Hmm, OK. But why are _you_ wanting to go there?" She asked suspiciously.

"Seeing as how I'm on his good side again, I figured I might pay him a visit to keep it that way."

"Really…" She said, unconvinced.

"That…" he continued, deciding not to keep his intentions from her, at least… not _all_ of them, "And there's a loose end that I need to take care of. Now that you and I are together, I… I want to leave that life behind me."

Judy smiled warmly at that as she kept her focus on the road. "I'm so proud of you, Nick."

"Oh, _I_ didn't do anything," He said, waving a paw. "It's all because of this dumb bunny."

* * *

 _Moleone Family Villa_

Judy and Nick walked into the large well-furnished foyer. They had parked Nick's car out front and were led in by a polar bear, who simply bowed and held the door open for them. The door was shut behind them.

The foyer was well lit, and furnished with a very expensive looking decor. Portraits of what seemed like other members of the Moleone family lined the walls. Both old and young in varying degrees of dress and eras. The floors were covered with rugs, and the tall dual staircase was adorned with a golden shimmering bannister. A crystal chandelier glittered above them.

A polar bear in a fancy suit, not dissimilar from the ones worn by any of the other bears in Mr. Big's employ, came up to them. He was oddly more ornate, and wore white gloves over his large paws.

"Ahh, Officer Hopps, Mister Wilde," He spoke, his voice posh and low, "I will inform the Master that you are visiting, please make yourself comfortable in this room." He pointed at the arrangement of sofas in varying sizes, each sofa was accompanied by a coffee table that had an assortment of expensive looking alcoholic beverages on them.

"Thank you, Godfried." Judy said cheerily. Nick looked at her, surprised she knew his name. "If Fru Fru is around, can you tell her we're here? It'll be nice to see how she's doing."

The bear bowed in acknowledgement and took his leave, letting them alone in the large foyer.

"Strange…" Nick said, nostalgia overtaking him, "being here again after all these years. I mean, being here of our own accord, not out of duress."

"Hmm, I've actually been here quite a few times over the last few months," She replied casually.

"Right, worked with Mr. Big on some polar bear thing for his family, right?"

"Mmmm— well, that wasn't _all_ I worked on for him."

Nick gave her a wide-eyed concerned look. "Carrots, please don't tell me you—"

"Oh, no, no." Judy assured, quickly catching on to what Nick was getting at, "He asked me to… look into a few things, while I was… off duty."

"Look _into a few things_?" Nick said, putting his hands on his hips, as if getting ready to scold a child, "Judy, that could mean _anything_." He hissed.

"Nick, I didn't do anything illegal, it was just…"

"Oh, OK, as long as you didn't do anything illegal." His voice dripped with a bitter sarcasm that Judy was taken aback by. The last time he talked to her that way was… "Judy, no matter what you were doing for Mr. Big. If word gets around that you were working with a _crime lord_ while you were _out of uniform_ …"

"OK, OK, Nick I get it—"

"Oh-oh, I don't think you do," He was trying to keep his voice down, realizing it was echoing off of the walls. He sighed and rubbed his closed eyes with a paw. "What… What business could he _possibly_ have with you? What did he have you look into?"

"Nick, he…" Judy was hesitant to answer, especially after how poorly Nick reacted to this new information.

Nick caught onto the source of her reluctance. "Uh… Carrots, I'm sorry. I'm just… I didn't mean to lose it."

Judy sighed, but smiled up to him. "It's OK. Come here, let's sit down." She took him by the paw and led him to a medium sized couch where they took a seat. "Nick… I don't want to upset you. Especially since we just started dating." She squeezed his paw with her smaller one, her fingers barely large enough to intertwine with his.

Nick sighed again, and looked away. "Little puff, you shouldn't need to worry about upsetting me. I promised you I would never leave you behind again."

"I know…" She said, leaning her head on his arm. "But I just know what Tony had me working on will upset you."

"What was it?" Nick asked again, "You can tell me. If I do get upset, I'll get over it. We can work through whatever happens, OK?"

"Right." She nodded as she rubbed a lowered ear against his shoulder. "But Nick, I don't want to keep anything from you, so if you insist, I'll tell you. But please trust me when I say that you shouldn't know what I'm looking into, at least, not yet. I know how strange this sounds…"

"Hmm, yep, that's beyond strange, honestly." Nick looked down at the rabbit leaning against him, he leaned his head over her and pressed his nose against the top of her head, breathing gently against her fur, taking in her scent. He made up his mind, despite how worried he was about her working with Mr. Big, and how bizarre it was. He trusted her, and he was hers. "I won't make you tell me, then. You're a grown mammal. Just promise me it's not illegal and… and that it's not going to get you —or _me_ — into trouble."

She hummed as she felt the warm air from Nick's nose ruffle the fur on her head. "I promise, Nick. Thank you."

"Ohh!" A high-pitched voice came from a hall on the other end of the room. Nick promptly looked up from sniffing his rabbit. "So it's true! You two _did_ hook up!"

Fru Fru, heavy with baby, came into the room, being carried by a suited polar bear. She sat in a chair, unable, or at least, unwilling to stand. She was accompanied by another male shrew, who was standing, dressed in a grey suit.

"Oh, Judy, honey," Fru Fru started, "Is Nicky treatin' you right? He showin' you the romance you deserve?"

"Hi, Fru Fru," she said, letting go of Nick's paw and standing up from the couch. "Yep, Nick's been treating me great. We've only been a couple since yesterday, but so far he's been everything I could ask for."

Nick stood up and put an elbow on Judy's head, leaning onto her. "Yep, you know me, I always know how to treat the ladies." Judy rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"I'm so happy for you two!" She almost shouted. "You both deserve each otha'. Nicky you better treat her good or I'm gonna scratch your eyeballs out after I deliver this baby, you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," he grinned, standing up straight, taking his elbow off Judy.

"Oh, by the way, this is my husband Stefano, Stefano Arvicoliani." She pointed to the male shrew standing next to her. "Judy, I know you already met him. But Nick, you saw us at the wedding but we left on our honeymoon before you could meet."

Stefano stood forward and gave a slight bow, "Pleasure, Mr. Wilde."

"Nice to meet you," Nick said back, "Arvicoliani, I guess that means you two didn't opt to keep the Moleone surname?"

"Oh, I did," Fru Fru corrected. "I kept my family name and I took his. My full name is Fru Fru Arvicoliani-Moleone. It just sounds like a mouthful I know, that's why I did it." She laughed. Stefano simply rolled his eyes, or at least, Nick thought he did, it was hard to tell with his tiny shrew eyes.

"So how far along are you, Fru?" Judy asked.

"Not long now!" She answered, rubbing her large stomach, "I'm actually on the way to my last prenatal checkup, should be next week!"

"How exciting!" She almost squealed.

"I know!" Fru squealed back. "You'll be a godmother soon!"

As if irritated by the girly squealing, Stefano spoke up. "Y-you know, it's about time we left, we're going to be late for our appointment."

"Oh, yes," Fru Fru agreed. "Well, it was nice seein' you two! You make such a _cute_ couple!"

The group said their goodbyes, and the two shrews with their polar bear handler took their leave.

"You think when she has her baby she might accidentally misplace them?" Nick asked facetiously, grinning.

"Nick, shush."

* * *

"And I completely forgot to give you a call after we arrested the mayor—" Judy explained.

"Ah, ah," Tony interrupted, waving a paw dismissively, "I am just glad to hear you are alright. I see your leg is healing up nicely, then?"

Judy had finished recalling the story to Tony about how they were led to the arrest of the ex-mayor Bellwether after 'interrogating' Weaselton in his estate. She also didn't spare the detail that she and Nick were now a couple.

"Yep, I'm able to walk now, just a little limp," Judy affirmed.

"Good, good, this is great news" Tony nodded, smiling. "You have found your culprit, and you have found your love for each other, no less." Judy and Nick smiled at each other at that. "It is a beautiful thing, I am happy for both of you."

"Thank you, Tony." Judy said, basking in the sincerity of his comment.

"Ahh, but I am a little concerned," Tony said, "And feel free to tell an old mammal to mind his own business, but… the contrast between you two is troubling. You are a rabbit of the law, while our friend Nicky here is… how you say… 'morally _questionable_.'"

"Well," Judy said, putting a paw on Nick's arm. "That's what Nick is here to talk to you about, actually."

"Is that right?" Tony said, looking toward Nick.

"Yep, uh, yes," As usual, Nick became nervous. He was talking with the biggest crime boss in Tundra Town after all. Reconciled or not. "Tony—er, Mr. Big. I know we've had a partnership in the past, and I know I've had some dealings with Kazlov recently."

 _Kazlov?_ Judy thought.

"But I want you to know that I'm leaving that life behind," Nick proudly declared. "Judy… has asked me to join the police force, and I want nothing more in the world to become a police officer and be by her side."

"Huh," Mr. Big said simply, rubbing the ring on his finger with his thumb.

Nick suddenly became painfully aware of the silence in the room. He had strolled into the mansion of a crime boss, and proudly declared that he was becoming a police officer. Nick, a mammal who had almost intimate knowledge of Mr. Big's operation and illegal dealings, was aligning himself with the law.

"Ah, Nicky-Nicky," Mr. Big shook his head, smiling. "Love… it does strange things to us. Makes us do incredible things. Things we would normally think impossible. I never thought I would see you change your ways and become a mammal of the law."

"I-I, uh, now, Mr. Big," Nick stammered, "I want you to know that I won't—"

"Kid, listen to me," Mr. Big put up a paw to demand silence. Nick obeyed. "I trust you. I trust you both. I'm even… proud of you, Nicky. I always knew this wasn't the life for you. You never gave yourself enough credit. And along comes this rabbit and makes an honest mammal out of you. It's beautiful… more beautiful than words can describe. You have my blessing."

"I…" Nick said, at a loss. Judy rubbed his arm tenderly. "Thank you."

Tony chuckled, "Don't mention it, kid. I've got one more thing for you two. I know you're both still on edge about this Nighthowler cure, and I heard from Mrs. Otterton this morning. Emmitt is still missing his marbles, is that right?"

"Yes," Judy nodded, "Mr. Otterton is still… afflicted. As are the rest of the mammals exposed to the serum."

"This simply will not do," He shook his head. "So I am donating fifty million to the University of Zootopia, in your name, and—"

Nick's phone started ringing, a jovial ringtone played as it vibrated. The conversation stopped abruptly, with Nick looking sheepishly between Judy and Mr. Big.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting." Mr. Big lazily gestured for Nick to pick up. "Answer it."

Nick complied, and pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen to answer the call from an unknown number. The phone simply displayed, "Nova Ferocia, Northern Federation."

"Hey," He spoke into the phone.

"Hello," A vaguely familiar female voice came from the phone, "This is Margaret Hood. It's been a few months, Mr. Sternfang. Or should I say… _Nicholas Wilde_ …"


	20. Feisty Ferret

**Notes:** Apologies for this late, and smaller than usual, chapter. I had to rewrite a scene and it was a pretty big setback, and the chapter got larger than I initially planned. So instead of making you wait even longer for the chapter, I'm posting the next few scenes.

Also, if you haven't already, please note that the original chapter 19 has been moved to Stark Contrasts. A different chapter 19 was posted in its place, and it kinda broke some notifications, so double check if you've read the previous chapter, go ahead. I'll wait here :)

Also, I'd like to thank Ziegelzeig for the fantastic character art for Hood :)

* * *

"Ah, the Feisty Ferret!" Nick said jovially, "It's been too long! How've you been? Still cold up in the Fed?"

The was a short pause on the line, " _Nicholas_ … That's rather formal, isn't it? Can I just call you Nick?" she spoke sweetly, in her slight northern accent.

"Absolutely, Ferret," Nick spoke as if he was talking to a long time friend. Judy watched in confusion, knowing somehow was far from the truth. Nick was in distress. "Or should I just call you Feisty? You didn't answer me though. How's the weather up there?"

Nick had this way about him. If he didn't know what to say, he would talk anyway. And if he was backed into a corner, he would talk even more. And Nick always was the type finding himself in these situations.

"It's cold. And I'm not a ferret," The ermine said back shortly, trying to get ahold of what Nick was trying to do. "But it's _always_ cold, darling. It's a bitter, year-round, sodding winter up here, so what do you say we drop the act and get to the point?"

"Ahh, straight to business, like always. The Business Badger." Nick said, nervously looking back and forth between Judy and Mr. Big, both said nothing. Judy listened cautiously while the other tapped his tiny shrew fingers on his armrest.

Hood tittered maliciously, "I am a business _mammal_ after all. And after I have you thrown in prison, I'll be taking care of some other _loose ends_."

Judy raised her paws in an open gesture, a worried look on her face. She mouthed her question silently: "Who is that?"

"Whoa, hey hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Why would you want to do that? I thought we were _friends_. And those other loose ends? They're your friends too!"

"I know who my friends are, Mr. Wilde." She said bluntly, "I _was_ calling to make a deal, but I can now see that was a mistake, I'll just—"

"No, no, you called at a perfect time," Nick said, trying to steer the conversation. This was it, if he didn't dig himself out of this one… "I'm sitting here with a _big_ business partner of mine, and we were just talking about the Nighthowler situation here in Zootopia. We thought, maybe you and your company were the perfect candidates for helping us develop an antidote. And I know how much you guys _love_ developing medicine for the common good."

There was a pause, a thick tension. Nick looked at Judy, who was still completely lost as to what was happening.

 _Judy…_ he thought, his mouth was dry, he swallowed a lump in his throat, _If I mess this up… I lose everything… again… And I'd deserve it._

"Mr. Wilde," The voice finally said, "What makes you think I give a damn about Zootopia's problem? We all saw the news. Oh, it's just horrible! No cure in sight! Who cares?! This is between you, and me—"

"Listen, Feisty," Nick interrupted again, "You said you called to make a deal right?"

"—That's not what I—?"

"So how about you fly on down to Zootopia and we can hash this whole thing out? C'mon, I'll even treat you to dinner."

"Are you mad?! Are you even _listening_ to me? I said I'm going to put you in prison!"

"Oh _nooo_. Really?" He said casually. He was toying with her now. "For what?"

"Well, where to even _begin_!" She was flabbergasted at the question, his smug attitude. "How about breaking into a secure research facility? Or extorting protected corporate information with the intent to blackmail? And need I remind you that _you_ now own the facility that was used to manufacture the impure medication that brought my company under a major lawsuit— so how about withholding evidence?"

"Hmm, now I do believe I can email you a copy of the audit where we were expressly granted permission to the _entire_ facility. There's also no proof that the information we used against you was found during our… _tour_ of your fabulous campus. And I don't own anything that once belonged to SinistraNova." He grinned, "You can't touch me, Feisty, I've been doing this since I was born." The practiced line danced from his lips.

"Ergh!" She was losing it. "D-don't try to fool me! If I do some more d-digging I'll find out who owns that stupid shell company of yours. There's bound to be something that ties it to your name! Which I _know_ now, Nicholas Piberius _Wilde!_ "

"What's in a name?" He said dismissively, now completely calm. "You know, I'm currently _with_ the person that _does_ own your old facility. The name 'Tony Moleone' mean anything to you?"

Tony smiled at the mention of his name and, as if on cue, snapped his fingers at one of polar bears standing-by in the room. He walked over next to Nick, waiting for something.

"M-mole… _Moleone_ …?!" She stammered, her tiny lungs gasping sharply into the phone.

"Yep, and it looks like he wants to have a little chat with you."

"He— what— wait! I don't—" Her voice became tinny as the receiver left his ear and he handed the phone to the awaiting polar bear. He could hear the frustrated ermine noises she made in distress as the polar bear brought the phone to Mr. Big and held it up for him.

He cleared his throat.

"Margaret," Mr. Big said pleasantly, "How are you? How's the family? David still treatin' ya well?"

"Nick?" Judy said, putting a paw on his forearm. Nick jumped slightly at the touch. "Who was that? Is everything OK?"

Nick realized he had forgotten to breathe, and took in a sharp, long breath. Nick didn't respond, instead rubbing his forehead. He felt dizzy, sick.

"Well, of course I know who you are," Mr. Big chuckled, still talking into the phone. "Didn't my boy Nicky here tell you he knows everybody? And by association, so do I."

The two watched, one confused, the other clasping his paws together nervously.

"Uh-huh…"

"Absolutely…"

"Splendid, we'll see you tomorrow then."

Judy whispered to Nick, "Nick, please tell me you're OK…"

"Huh, perhaps you didn't hear me, I'll repeat myself." Tony continued, cutting a thin voice short on the other end, "We'll be meeting tomorrow, 6:00 PM sharp, at the Moleone Villa, do you understand?"

Whatever the response, it wasn't enough for Nick to hear, but Mr. Big's eyebrows lifted in approval.

"Good, very good. I look forward to seeing you." Mr. Big gestured that he had finished. Kazlov removed the phone, his massive paws swiped deftly on the screen to end the call.

Tony leaned back in his chair chuckling. Kazlov handed Nick the phone and went back to stand behind Tony.

"Quite the troublesome ermine you got yourself tangled up with," Tony said, shaking his head. "I trust you heard that she'll be here tomorrow."

"I heard," Nick nodded, "I'll be here right at—"

"No, you won't," Tony interrupted, "I think you've done enough. That mouth of yours only gets you _out_ of trouble when you're already hopelessly lost in it, kid. Best we keep you out of it from now on, considering your new outlook. Leave her to me, and keep your nose where it belongs."

Nick hesitated a moment. Mr. Big _never_ did favors. At least… not for Nick. And he didn't like the idea of being in debt to this particular crimelord.

"Mr. Big, while I appreciate this from the bottom of my heart, I—"

Mr. Big chuckled again, as if sensing what Nick was thinking. "You know me too well, Nicky. The other two facilities in Nova Ferocia; sign them over to Kaslov."

Judy had had enough. "OK, OK, wait-wait-wait- _wait_." She gestured towards Tony that she was cutting in and taking over this conversation. He nodded in deference. "Nick what's happening? What did you _do?_ Who was that on the phone? Why— was she _blackmailing_ you?"

"Carrots," Nick sighed, "I made a mistake…"

"A _mistake?_ " Judy said, incredulous, "Someone is threatening to send you to _prison_ , Nick."

Of course Judy had heard the whole thing. Those radar-like like ears of hers could hear anything.

"OK, Look-look." Nick put up both paws, trying to assuage her concerns. "Mr. Big is a very busy mammal, we can talk about this—"

"And now you're signing over some— some _medical_ facilities in Ferocia? Why do you _own_ -"

"Carrots, I did this back in June," He said, trying to keep this little quarrel from upsetting Mr. Big, who sat patiently. "—while we weren't speaking."

"Did _what_?" She pushed.

"I'm a con-mammal!" Nick hissed, "— _Was_ a con-mammal. And I just so happened to 'con' a big multi-territorial corporation out of three medical production plants and 180,000 bucks— But she found me, she… she _found_ me… she knows my real name…"

There was a pause as Judy stared blankly, mouth hanging open. She stared into Nick's eyes, unbelieving, overwhelmed… _disappointed._

"Wow…" was all she said.

Nick's ears twitched, lowering. The way she was looking at him pained him. He looked to Mr. Big, who simply shrugged, as if to say, "I can't help you."

"Told ya, sweetheart…" Nick said, eyes drifting to the floor, as if he was a little kit being scolded. "I wasn't just a pawpsicle hustler."

"I…" She gulped as she tried to speak, her eyes became glossy. Her mouth tried to form words, but no air came to meet them. The silence filled the room as harsh emotions cycled through Judy's face, each one ripping into Nick, causing him physical pain. When she spoke again her voice was strained, but even. "I'll be out in the car, OK?"

"Judy, I—"

"Tony," She turned her attention to Mr. Big, doing her best to give him a sincere smile. "It was nice seeing you and Fru again." With that, she slowly but calmly padded out of the room, face stoic.

Nick could only stare at the empty threshold. There was nothing behind him, no one. Just a cold, empty doorway.

Mr. Big said nothing, but waited for Nick to come back to the real world. And he did. Almost violently.

"Mr. Big— ah, sir I didn't—" He stammered. "I didn't— you weren't supposed to— I-I-I-I mean, I apologize for letting this happen in your home, and—"

"Nicky, listen to me." Mr. Big said, almost laughing. "I live with my daughter and son-in-law. She's pregnant, about to have my first grandchild. You think this is something I've not seen before? These new lovers, always— they're always fighting— egh— It is none of my business. Go after her, kid."

He looked back to the empty doorway. "I'll give you the factories. I'll have Flash —uh, Jared— sign them over."

"Ah, Jared Slothmore." The shrew nodded, "You'll have to tell me how he's doing sometime. Now get going, your girl isn't gonna wait forever."

 _You're an idiot, Nick Wilde_ He thought, padding through the snow out to the parked car that waited for him. _You fell for someone again… And now she's finding out who you really are…_

With his paws in his pockets, he braced himself for what Judy would have to say to him as he opened the passenger side door. He slowly stepped into the car, tension thick within.

Judy kept her paws on the steering wheel, the car hummed slightly as the heater warmed the interior. Her eyes were staring into her lap, not focusing on anything.

"Judy, I um…" Nick started, unsure what he would say to explain himself. "That's who I am… who I _was_. But I— I don't want to be a con-mammal anymore."

"That wasn't just a con, Nick." She calmly explained, closing her eyes. "That was… a _felony_. That was… that's a lot of money, and you took property… _pharmaceutical_ facilities."

 _But Hood was just as crooked as me,_ he thought in defense. _She has nothing on me, I can't be put on the hook for this. I did this while you and I weren't even speaking to each other!_

"I know…" He said.

"And… you used to work with Mr. Big on stuff like this _all the time?_ " She looked up to him, desperate to hear him say no, that he was only a pawpsicle hustler.

"Yes."

"And you hustled much more than just pawpsicles…?"

"…Yes."

There was a silence. Snow began to fall, much like the day before. The day that they had confessed their feelings to each other. The day that they had sat and watched the snow fall, cuddled into the warmth of the other. Today, was not that day.

They watched the snow fall, large flakes settling on the front windshield, slowly melting.

"I'm sorry, carrots." Nick said, fearful. If Judy had changed her mind about dating him, he was as prepared as he would ever be. Which wasn't very.

"Nick…" She finally released the steering wheel and looked over to him. She gently put a paw on his arm. He was grateful for the physical contact. "You don't need to apologize. I'm not mad, or…"

 _Disappointed?_ Nick internalized, _It's OK, you can say it._

"I realize how little I know about you…" she explained. "Your past I mean. And it was… it was a lot for me to take in. We've only just been together since yesterday. You've told me a lot already, and I've learned so much about you. But there's still so much I don't know."

"Are you afraid to know?"

"Yes… I am." She admitted, "I'm scared to hear the things you used to do… what you used to 'hustle'."

Nick said nothing. He had this way about him. If he didn't know what to say, he would talk anyway. And if he was backed into a corner… there were few situations in which Nick didn't try to talk his way out. This time, there was nothing to say. No lies, no compromise, and no bargaining. Judy had discovered what Nick was, and now it was up to her whether she would still accept him. Still _believe_ in him.

"I may not know what you used to do," Her grip on his arm tightened comfortingly. "But… I know _you_ Nick. I know who you are _now_."

He looked up at her, smiling in appreciation.

"You might change your mind." He said jokingly. "You sure you want to hear everything? Because I _will_ tell you."

"Well, when you say it like _that_ …" She teased, "I guess I'll take it one thing at a time. I know you want to change, I trust you. We can go turn in your employment application together today. You are not a con-mammal anymore—" she continued, unbuckling her seatbelt with her other paw, "You're so much more."

With that, she got up from the driver's seat and crossed her legs over the center armrest. She scooted herself onto the compartment, her upright ears rubbing against the ceiling of the interior. She took his arm in both paws now, giving her full attention.

"I told you that, remember?" She said, "And I'll tell you again. As many times as you need to hear it: You are so much more. I'm so happy you realize that."

He slowly returned her affections, drawing her paws into his embrace and wrapping his free arm around her back.

"I do…" he agreed, nuzzling into her ears, "All because of you, little puff. If you think some pawpsicle-hustling, washed-up, dumb fox can be a police officer, then I'll do whatever it takes to be the better mammal you think I am."

She gave her usual hum of approval before slowly pulling herself away. They held one another's paws and looked into the other's eyes. They were of equal height with each other with her seated on the armrest still.

"Then tell me everything, Nick." She smiled, "Tell me all about Nicholas Wilde. _My_ Nicholas Wilde."

He smiled back, tenderly brushing her cheek with a paw before cupping the side of her soft velvety face. "I'll tell you everything. I promise."

That's what she wanted to hear. She kissed him slowly as she closed her eyes. Just like their first kiss: fueled by emotion, a revelation, a heartfelt secret from one to the other.

She used her free hand to draw him in by the back of neck, holding him in place as she explored every precious inch of Nick's long black lips with her own. She smiled into the kiss whenever Nick's wet nose would breathe into her face.

A ringtone interrupted them with its sharp, jaunty notes. Judy pulled away, a goofy smile spread across her face, displaying her white rabbit teeth proudly to Nick.

Realizing that Judy was not going to do anything about the interruption, Nick reached two fingers into Judy's pocket and extracted the phone. "Might want to answer that."

"Yeah," She giggled, still smiling.

Taking the phone, she slipped down into Nick's lap, or rather, sat in the nook between his legs. He slowly brought his paws around her midsection.

"It's my parents," She said, leaning back into him, "Might not want to use MuzzleTime for this one." She tapped to accept the call as audio-only and brought it up to her ear. "Hey guys! How's it going?"

As usual, and even with Judy in such close quarters to him, Nick found that he couldn't properly hear the other side of the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm not limping so much anymore. _Yes_ , I'm taking all the antibiotics."

"Everything's been real great! Protesting has already died down. Such a big relief."

"And _yeeess_ … Nick's still spending the night."

His ears perked up at the mention of his name. She tilted her head to look up at him, giving another goofy grin.

"Dad, you met him already."

"Mom, Dad, listen— listen, now's not such a good time, I'm kind of out driving in Tundra Town right now."

"Well, it's Nick's car but— Anyway, I'll explain later. I'll call back tonight, OK?"

Judy tapped a bit on her phone before sliding it back into her pocket.

"So," Nick said, "Guess you'll need to tell your folks that we're together, then?"

"One thing at a time, Slick." She said, craning her face up to look at him, "For now, what do you say we go turn in your employment application?"

"Sounds like a plan," Nick smiled, his face bordered on either side by her long, soft ears, "Let's make my new life official."

And with that, Nick leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead. Judy gave a sweet hum in approval.

 **Notes:**

And with that, I've reached 100k words. Thank you all for sticking with me this far! Here's to another 100k words!


	21. Little Cottontail

_Afternoon_

 _Grand Pangolin Arms, Shared laundry room_

Judy held up the maroon colored handkerchief, observing the dried blood blending in with the dark color.

"Eeyuck," she said, tossing it into the open front-loading washing machine.

"Yeah… I probably should have mentioned it earlier." Nick sighed. "It's just been sitting in a grocery sack in my duffel since the museum."

After dropping off Nick's application to Officer Higgins, Clawhauser's front desk replacement, the two spent some time together driving around town. They had picked up some Grazian food to eat later while they watched another movie. After some much needed chores, of course.

They were in the shared laundry room of the 18th floor. Several differently sized washing machines and dryers lined the wall, apparently all of varying decades of origin as well. Nick was sitting at a nearby table underneath an old tube TV that was mounted on the wall, long broken.

The room they were in looked to originally have been an apartment, but was at some point converted, rather poorly, to a laundry room. The floor was even still adorned with a heavily stained green carpet. Definitely a great place for mold to live, given that the room was used to wash clothes. The corner where a walk-in closet used to be was now filled with filing cabinets and varying cleaning equipment.

"To be fair, I only really do laundry when I'm almost out of clean clothes," Judy admitted as she continued to feed dirty clothes, both hers and Nick's, into the washer.

"I would relate, only I can't really run out of clean clothes," Nick smirked as he pulled out his phone and began checking his messages.

"Right, how many of the same shirt do you have?"

"Hmm," Nick thought, "Can't say I've ever counted them all, I just have a box of them in my closet. There are still ones that I haven't worn yet."

"Dare I ask were you got that box? Please don't tell me you just stole it from an apparel warehouse."

Nick scoffed, "Madam, I'll have you know that good money was paid for that crate of shirts… Just not _my_ money."

"Ugh," she gave a furrowed brow and shook her head.

While Judy appreciated the effort Nick was making to be more open about his questionable past, she found herself unsurprised at the… less severe acts of conning.

Judy finished loading the laundry, she closed the door and flipped her laundry basket over. She hopped on top of the basket to reach the archaic dials for the machine. Despite there being other machines in the room that were her size, she preferred using the larger machine, so she could fit everything into a single load.

"So how come you don't like doing laundry?" Nick said as she walked over to the table he was sitting at. "Figured you were all about keeping your blues all clean and ready for duty."

"It's not that I don't like it," Judy explained, sitting down at the chair across from Nick. "Living in a home full of brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews teaches you how to take a few… 'shortcuts'. Those habits just kinda followed me to the city, I guess."

Nick frowned and set his phone down on the table, "You're sitting so far away."

Judy raised an eyebrow and looked around. "I'm sitting right here." She reached across the table and put a paw on his to demonstrate.

"What's that?" He put a paw up to his ear, as if to aid his hearing. "I can't hear you from all the way over there. Not all of us have super bunny hearing."

Judy thought for a moment, confused as to what Nick was getting at. She smiled, realizing. Nick patted his lap enticingly.

"Oh, I see what's going on." She rolled her eyes and got down from the chair.

"Gotta warn ya, carrots," He said as she walked over to him, "Now that we're together, you should know that I can get pretty clingy."

Judy's ears grew hot, she let them fall to preemptively hide them from Nick. These feelings that came from being in a relationship with someone, even one she trusted as much as Nick, were all still new to her.

She hopped into his lap and made herself comfortable as he put his arms around her waist. She tucked her ears lazily between herself and Nick's warm chest. This new sensation of being held by Nick was borderline intoxicating. She had never been this close to someone before.

"I can get used to clingy," she said, "You date many bunnies before?" She asked casually, already knowing full well what the answer was.

Nick looked down to her and rubbed the underside of his muzzle softly on her head. "I've been with other foxes before, but you're my first bunny."

"Hmm, I guess we'll both get pretty well versed at how well bunnies can reciprocate in that regard."

"Hmm, what do you mean by that?" Nick asked, intrigued. "I can probably take that in a number of ways."

Judy hummed, "I guess we'll see."

The two sat for a while, alone in the laundry room, with only the rumbling sound of the running washer.

"So tell me about that handkerchief," Judy said, "There's something familiar about it…"

"Hmm, that thing? You've probably seen some Junior Ranger scouts wearing it around the city."

Judy looked up at him, "You mean, that's your—"

"Mmhmm," he nodded. "I've had it for… hmm, 21 no… 23 years now?"

"But you…" Judy started, unsure how to ask, "You still have it? After what happened?"

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

Nick took in a deep breath, giving a grin down to his curious bunny. Nick reminded himself; no more lies, no more misdirection. Even if this relationship didn't last… even if Judy changed her mind… he would enjoy and remember this opportunity to be himself with someone, to not be ashamed of his past and the story he had to tell.

"A promise." Nick said after a moment. "Call me sentimental."

"Hmm, so Nicholas Wilde _is_ sentimental after all."

"Eh," He lifted a paw and waved it around, "Only when it comes to certain things."

"Like a handkerchief?"

"And like a certain bunny that thinks just any dumb fox can be a police officer." He said, gripping her tighter, causing a pleased squee to escape the captive rabbit.

"Hmm, not just _any_ dumb fox."

"Speaking of which, I um… I've never actually successfully applied for a job before, how does it work exactly?" Nick placed his chin on top of her head, so she could feel the words breathing into her fur.

"Well, first Bogo said he would give you a call. But— you call him buffalo butt."

"—Ah, that guy—"

"He'll call you in for an interview. Then we go from there."

"Gonna need to dust off my old Interview skills."

"You'll be fine, just be honest." Judy said, almost sternly, "Bogo says this is just a formality, he's hiring you as a favor to me, so… just don't bring up what you used to do, OK?"

"Done and done."

"And don't… flatter him, he doesn't like that."

"Hmm, can't make any promises there, little puff. It's something I do when I get nervous."

"Oh and I'm sure Bogo will get you nervous." Judy admitted, "That guy can strip the paint off of a truck with that stare of his. Don't let him intimidate you!"

"Hey hey, don't worry, I can handle myself. I'll be fine."

Judy sighed, "I know, I just really want this."

"I do, too. Someone's gotta be there to make sure you don't try to arrest a rhino all by yourself."

"A _rhino_ , eh?" Judy smirked defiantly and leaned forward, twisting around slightly so she could look him in the eye. "Funny story about that."

Nick's eyes went wide, "You didn't…"

"Well, I didn't _arrest_ him." She explained, trying not to boast. "But I did have to take him down during my academy training. If you don't believe me, you'll find out soon enough when you're in the academy."

"I believe you." He brushed a paw on her cheek as he looked down at her. "You really are amazing. My amazing bunny."

She smiled up at him, "My sentimental fox."

With that, he slowly moved his paw to her chin, and slowly guided her into a kiss. Kissing her was like nothing he'd ever felt before, he wanted to relish every second, as if this was his last second alive. It was nothing like kissing another fox. He felt her smaller mouth with his, gently gliding his tongue along her lips, her large rabbit teeth, her own tongue.

"Kissing you is always a new experience every time," He snickered, leaning back.

"Likewise," She grinned bashfully.

The endorphins produced from the kiss warmed their bodies, almost as if there was energy being exchanged between them. Nick relished this precious moment of being so close to Judy.

"So, um," Nick said, still in a high from the kiss, "You think maybe we should tell Stu about us dating? He seemed to be pretty set on that happening for some reason."

"Yeah… funny story about that…"

* * *

 _Two weeks earlier_

 _Saturday, August 11th, 20X8_

 _Noon_

 _Bunnyburrow, Hopps Family Homestead_

"Judy?" A small voice called from behind the door. "Can I come in?"

Judy groaned quietly, shifting her head to look at the door. She was in her room, laying facedown on her bed.

"Yep," she said, trying to hide her listlessness. "Come in, Lily"

The round door slowly opened to reveal a kid rabbit, peach colored skirt and a t-shirt with a symbol of a blue duck. Judy sat up on her bed as the girl cautiously climbed into the room. It was Lily, the daughter of one of Judy's sisters. She was one of the younger generation that found a role model in Judy. In truth, many of her younger nieces and nephew's looked up to Judy, but none like Lily. Before Judy had left for police academy, Lily would spend all of her free time with Judy, even over her own parents.

"Aunt Judy," she said, her voice hinted with worry, "Are you ok?"

"Of course I am," Judy assured, lying, "What's up, little cottontail?"

"Everyone keeps saying that," Lily said, unconvinced, "They keep saying you're fine, and that I shouldn't worry."

Judy looked around for an answer to give the curious child. She had missed Lily after she left for Zootopia, and had hoped that the next time she saw her would be a happy moment. But Judy had nothing but self-doubt and thoughts of depression.

"I…" Judy hesitated, not wanting to lie anymore. "Close the door, and come sit with me."

Lily nodded and complied, climbing up to the bed with her favorite aunt.

"Everyone says you're just visiting", Lily said, "But you're not acting like Judy, you haven't shown off your badge once. No one will tell me what's going on. Is it because of what's been in the news?"

The protests had dominated the news as of late, interrupted only by updates of the ongoing precarious state of the savage predators. It never let up, not even out here in the rural countrysides of Bunnyburrow. Judy smiled and patted Lily on the head; she was a smart one, there was no hiding the truth from her.

"Lily, I… quit the ZPD. I turned in my badge and I came back home." Judy sighed. She was done crying, done with the tears. If only regrets were as easy to be rid of. She was ready to explain herself to at least one member of the family.

"Why?"

Judy felt a wave of unexpected embarrassment wash over her. It was enough to make her feel sick. Judy looked away, suddenly feeling not so prepared to talk. Here was her niece, who looked up to her so passionately for so long, asking why she had given up and left her dream behind. One question, one word— it was so simple, but the reasoning behind it was so complicated.

She had walked past many of her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews… mother and father… all looking at her, staring as she walked to her room. They all knew what had happened, if Bonnie and Stu hadn't told them, it was the poorly hidden sullen look on her face, or the fact that she had returned home without a hint of ever having been a police officer… and her suitcase.

The stares and gossip of her family was one thing, she could ignore that easily enough. But for some reason, this single question left her with a single unwelcome emotion: shame.

"Aunt Judy?" Lily asked, standing up on the bed and looking over to her aunt who avoided her gaze. "Why did you quit?" It didn't make any sense. Lily, only being eleven, had her whole life known that Judy only had one dream, one passion. The Judy that sat there, looking away from her, was that really her? Was the Judy that came home really the one that had left for Zootopia not so long ago?

Judy finally let out a ragged sigh and let her head sink. "Remember what I used to say? All the time, before I left for the academy?"

"'Damnit Dan, why do you keep taking the truck without asking?'" Lily guessed.

" _No_ ," she snickered, rubbing her on the head. "I did say that a lot, but I meant the other thing. About what I would do after I became an officer."

Her aunt had allowed herself to smile, albeit only slightly. This was a welcome sight for Lily, she smiled back. "'I'm gonna make the world—'"

"'—A better place.'" They both finished in unison. Lily giggled and started lightly hopping around on the bed.

"You said that a lot," Lily said.

"Yep, I did."

"Is that why you came back? Cuz' everyone in Zootopia got tired of you saying that?" Lily joked, still bouncing.

Judy snickered again, "No, no it wasn't that. I…"

Lily immediately took notice that Judy's smile had faded, and stopped bouncing.

"I didn't…" Judy continued. "I didn't make the world a better place. I broke it."

"Broke it?"

"Those protests everyone saw on TV… Those were all my fault… my fault that everyone in Zootopia wants predators quarantined, or banned, or…"

"But you were only there for a few months."

Judy sighed again and shook her head. "That's all it took. I broke Zootopia, I broke my friendship with Nick…"

"Who's Nick?"

"He's…" Judy hesitated. Who _was_ Nick? Who was Nick to _her_? They had only spent a few days together and yet… Another question nagged her: who was _she_ to Nick? She had hurt him, the past three months of him willing to forget about her was all the sign she needed. Surely he was nothing more than another regret just as easily forgotten. But easier said than done. "Nick helped me solve my first case… He helped me find Mr. Otterton, an otter that had been missing for over a week. We went through a lot together."

"You were friends?" Lily asked, sitting down in the middle of the bed.

"We were. But… then I said something. Something stupid. In front of _everyone_."

"During the press conference?"

"Yeah. And it hurt him. He walked out of the precinct and I haven't seen him since…"

"Did you look for him?"

"I did." Judy nodded, "He left Zootopia for a few days, but when he came back he still didn't want me to find him."

"So he didn't want to be friends with you anymore?" Lily asked, sympathetic.

"I guess not…" she answered simply. Judy turned around on the bed to face Lily.

"Then maybe you just need a new friend?"

Judy gave a half hearted smile, "Well, I made other friends in the precinct."

"So then forget about Nick."

Judy winced at that, almost as if she felt physical pain. She paused for a moment, staring at nothing. Why didn't she just forget Nick? He wasn't the first friend she had lost to an argument over the years, so what was the difference? She thought, maybe she could just give it a try, forget the fox that she had hurt, wash her hands of the spoiled friendship and move on. After all, he seemed more than willing to forget her.

But something was off, something she couldn't quite find, wandering around in the far reaches of her thoughts. She didn't know why, but this much she did know: she didn't _want_ to forget Nick… even if by holding on, it caused her to hurt.

"I can't…" Judy admitted after what seemed to be an eternity of silence, her eyes got glossy, the unwelcome feeling of tears threatening to return. She fought it, cleared her throat, blinked a few times, and shook her head. "I can't." She repeated, giving a grin as she lowered her head. So much for being done with tears.

"Why?" Lily urged lightly, as if noticing Judy was trying to hold back.

"Because he's…" she thought for a moment, even if she didn't know why, she could offer what little she did know, "He's special. Nick is special."

"What makes him so special? Is he like super sexy or something?"

Judy choked in surprise. Her brow furrowed in skepticism. There's no way she said that, right?

"W-what?!" Judy said after lightly hacking out the saliva that she had accidentally breathed in.

"You heard me," Lily said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "The way you've been acting since you got home, I figured he was your boyfriend or something."

Judy stared for a moment, her eyes wide, shifting from the stuffed animals at the head of her bed back to Lily. Her eyes softened and she cleared her throat.

"Lily, Nick is a fox." She calmly explained.

"Kay?" She said, waiting for Judy to continue.

"Um, that's it, he's a fox."

"…Kay?" Lily pushed, almost giggling, "Sounds like you really like him though."

"I…" Judy was at a loss. Was this really happening? "Where is this coming from? Aren't you a little young to be—"

"Ugh." Lily interrupted with a groan, flopping backward on the bed. "I don't know what the family talked about when you were a kid, but we're a huge family of _rabbits_ , this is pretty much what everyone talks about."

She had a point there, as a kid, Judy didn't pay attention to talks of crushes, or attraction or… someone being "super sexy". The novelty of her younger niece saying those words were still amusing.

"I guess…" Judy said, pondering heavily. Lily quickly sat up in anticipation, her mouth hung open, as if trying to help her aunt will words into existence. Was Judy attracted to Nick? Furthermore, did she feel a certain way about him? In either case, she had indeed caught herself interested in certain… 'aspects' of Nick. "I don't know." She shrugged.

Lily groaned again, this time almost in anger, "Aunt Judy, you're such a big loser brain!"

"I— w-what?" Judy stammered in surprise at Lily's sudden change in tone.

"What happened to you?" Lily said in an almost mocking voice, "When I was growing up, all you ever talked about was going to police academy, becoming a police rabbit. The Aunt Judy I knew would never say, 'I dunno'."

"Hey, hey!" Judy said, defensive, "First off, you're not even done 'growing up' yet. Not even _close_! Next, I— I really don't know! Why does it matter anyway?"

"I'm eleven, I'm practically grown up already." She humphed and stood up on the bed again, "And I dunno, you keep moping around and gave up being a cop, and now you don't wanna forget about some dumb fox that won't talk to you. I think that's kinda dumb. Why are you being so _dumb_?"

"I am not dumb!" Judy defended, Lily simply responded by hopping around on the bed some more.

"Dumb dumb, Judy." She chanted, hopping along the length of the bed. "Aunt Judy's so dumb!"

"C'mere you—" Judy reached out and snatched the smaller bunny, causing her to squeal. "Who's dumb now?!" She dug her paws into Lily's stomach, causing her to burst out in laughter.

"S-stop stop!" She pleaded, "OK! OK! You're not dumb!" She lost the ability to speak as the tickling intensified. "Achhh! You're not dumb, you're not dumb!"

"That's better," Judy said as she released Lily, who quickly scrambled away.

"So does he have a big fluffy tail?" Lily asked, laying on her stomach and propped her head up on her hands, as if Judy was about to tell a story.

"Nick's tail?" Judy asked, raising an eyebrow. "I… yeah, his tail is pretty fluffy."

"Did he let you touch it?"

"What? No I—"

"Didn't you wanna touch it?" Lily questioned further.

"Uh, I mean, I guess I did, but—"

"Hah!" Lily snapped, "I knew it! You think he's sexy!"

"I— Just because I like his tail doesn't mean I think he's _sexy_."

Lily shrugged. "Ok, what about his butt?"

"—Lily!"

"What?" She said, feigning innocence, "Everyone talks about butts!"

"That doesn't mean you're old enough to talk about butts!"

"What does that even mean? How old do I gotta be?"

"I… I don't know! Not _eleven_!"

"That's not fair…" Lily humphed.

Judy had to take a moment and ask herself again: was this really happening? Was Lily _really_ asking these questions? Furthermore, was she able to answer them? _Should_ she answer them?

To Lily's credit, Judy's mood was much improved from when she was just sitting here, alone. So maybe she could return the favor, and just indulge in a little girl-talk.

Judy sighed, "I do like his butt." She admitted in an uncharacteristically shy voice.

"Hah!" Lily almost shouted, "Judy likes a _fox butt_!" She said in a sing-song voice.

"Shush!" She urged.

"What else? Does he do anything cool?"

"I can't believe we're talking about this…" Judy shook her head, Lily simply sat and waited for the answer, her face was beaming. Judy took in a breath before continuing. "He… he has this confidence. Even when he's just selling some stupid popsicles or when he's talking to someone, _anyone_. He's got this snarky— confident— knowledge… I don't know how to describe it. The way he holds his paw up to his chin and grins while he's gauging someone's reaction." She paused a moment to watch Lily, who was totally fixated. "He always wears a tie, and some stupid patterned shirt— which is really soft by the way— He's a bit on the skinny side though, he could use some more muscle." She could feel her cheeks and ears heat up at the thoughts.

"You liiiike him?" Lily asked jovially, grinning from ear to ear.

Judy snapped out of her day dream. Did she like him? No matter how many times she asked herself the question, her answer was clear, yet it was not. But the problem that kept her from the admission wasn't the uncertainty. "He's a fox, Lily…"

"Lots of guys are foxes." Lily rolled her eyes, almost impatiently. "Uncle James married a lynx, and Aunt Jolene married a ferret guy."

Lily had a point. While rare, interspecies relationships were not a new thing to the Hopps family. When your siblings and relatives are in the triple digits, these things were bound to happen.

But two questions remained.

One; was Judy ready to commit and come out as being open to dating outside of her species? She wasn't really sure if she had the potential to be attracted to _any_ species… Or if it was just Nick.

Finally, a more morose question: Did it even matter? Nick was so intent on not forgiving Judy, not wanting to speak with her or even to be found by her.

Either way, maybe it was time to admit it, at the very least, it would provide closure. Wouldn't it?

"I do like Nick." She admitted sullenly.

"Eeee!" Lily almost shrieked, she stood up quickly and began to hop around again.

The sight of her niece bouncing joyfully around at the admission, despite it being a sorrowful one, brought a smile to Judy.

"Judy likes a fox boy." She chanted musically, "Judy likes a fox boy!"

There was a slight knock at the door, the door creaked as it slid open slightly. Judy's eyes grew wide, Lily hadn't shut the door all the way. Her ears fell as she watched the door slowly reveal who was at the door. Lily stopped bouncing.

"Hey, hey there, Jude—" It was Stu, "J-Jude the dude. You mind if I come— uh, come in?"

How much did he hear? For the sake of her own sanity, Judy just assumed he heard everything.

"Hey, dad…"

"Grampa!" Lily bounded off the bed to give Stu a hug on the leg. She gave a wink to Judy, signifying that, for what it was worth, her secret was safe. Now if only Judy's secret could be safe with a certain other 'eavesdropper'.

"Hey, little flower petal!" He said as he patted her on the head, "Your mom's looking' for ya, why don't you give me and Jude here a moment alone."

"OK! Bye Aunt _Jude!_ Love you!" She waved and quickly hopped out of Judy's cubby room down to the hallway below, skipping the short ladder embedded in the wall.

"You, uh," Stu said, putting his hands in his back pockets. It was his tell for when he was about to bring up an awkward subject. "So 'bout that Nick, fella."

* * *

 _Present day_

 _Night_

 _Judy's Apartment_

"So." Nick said, clasping his paws together. "Discuss?"

Having finished their take-out Grazian cuisine, the two were again in their usual movie watching position, but this time…

"I love your tail, Nick." Judy almost purred, taking in the feeling of having Nick's tail cover her. "It's so fluffy."

"Not what I meant by discuss, but… glad to be useful, little puff."

"I could get used to this…" She turned around onto her back to grab onto his tail, snickering as it twitched.

"I see, I'm only a _tail_ to you now?"

"Shush, the tail and I are busy."

Nick scoffed, feigning a pained expression "Oh! The harsh reality becomes all too clear. You're only using me for my tail! This was your plan all along…"

"Yep, pretty much." She rubbed her face into the red fur, giving Nick oddly pleasant sensations.

"Well, with that story you told me with your niece, how could I say no?"

"Mmm, I should've told you sooner."

"So, um… the movie? Anything?" Nick said, trying to get back on topic.

"If I get to cuddle with your tail, I will watch as many cheesy movies as you want."

He frowned, " _Cheesy_?!" he said in a whiney tone, "I was sure you'd like that one!"

Judy laughed, lazily punching him on his shoulder. "I'm just kidding, Slick. I actually really liked that movie! It had action, and Hareson Ford, and _romance_!"

"Tell me, do you think Hareson Ford's character was a replicant?"

"Don't do this to me…"

Nick let out a foxy cackle, at which Judy simply rolled her eyes, or rather, she would have if she weren't too busy staring at his foxy teeth as he laughed.

"So it wasn't cheesy?" Nick asked expectedly.

"Hmm," she pondered for a moment, "I'd say you've done it, Slick. You showed me a movie that wasn't cheesy. I knew you had it in you."

"Eh," He shrugged, "I figured you earned it. Don't worry though, I still have plenty of cheesy movies."

"Oh, goody…"

Nick closed his laptop and began stretching out along the bed.

"So… how about you show me your apartment sometime? You _do_ live in an apartment, right?"

"What, please don't tell me you assumed I lived under that bridge you found me at." Nick finished stretching, and picked up his laptop before getting off the bed.

"Well…" Judy laid back and tapped her fingers on her stomach absently.

"Seriously?"

"Sheesh, I'm kidding again. Why would I assume you live under a bridge? Didn't you make '200 bucks a day' while you were hustling?"

"Truth be told, I actually have more than one apartment," Nick explained, putting his laptop on Judy's desk and coming back to sit next to her. "Funnily enough, I did have to sleep in the hangar you saw on that airfield more times than I'd like to admit when I was younger. There was a river that ran under that bridge not too long ago, would have made living under there a bit difficult…"

"Wait, wait, why do you have more than one apartment?"

"Long story short, bunbun, sometimes this line of work needed me to be scarce. Having more than one apartment made that just a little bit easier," He started unbuttoning his shirt, "Tomorrow, I'll show you where spend most of my time— well, where I _used_ to spend most of my time. Before I found your delightful little 'bunnyburrow.' What do you say we get ready for the night?"

"Hmm… do I want to go to bed and cuddle with your tail? Yes, yes I do."

"You plan on taking full advantage of this situation, don't you…" Nick finished taking off his shirt and tie and tossed them on the floor.

"I think you know the answer to that," Judy smirked.

"So, when do I get to touch _your_ tail?"

"We'll see, Slick. We'll see."


	22. The best laid plans of Fox and Rabbit

**Edited by:** Jeinu, LotharHex, Erinnyes and Hunter715

 **Notes:** I'm posting early because the editors finished really quickly :). A big THANK YOU to my editors, I really appreciate all the help in making Contrasts the best it can be. Special thanks to DrummerMax64 for featuring Constants on ZNN!

For those wondering about Constants, I will be uploading chapter 4 by the end of the week.

With that said, this chapter was a long time coming, and I'm feeling the romance bug for Nick and Judy even stronger now. I've reduced my target word count goal for chapter length but I hope this means I'll be able to put out more frequent chapters while still having them go through an editing process.

I want to thank everyone who patiently waited for Contrasts to be updated again, I hope you all enjoy the sappy romance. As always, let me know what you think!

* * *

"That's all they pay you?"

"Hmm? —Hey, Nick! Don't look at my phone," She grumbled sleepily as she took the phone from him, she stuck out her tongue and pointed to his. It was where he left it last night, all the way over on Judy's desk. "I'm not like you, I don't make _200 bucks a day_."

 _August 26th, 20X8_

 _Early Morning_

 _Judy's Apartment_

"Hmm, at least they could pay you a livable wage." Nick scoffed, deciding he would be lazy today and not get out of bed, even if it was to get his phone.

"What do you know about fair wages…" She grinned, checking her notifications.

Nick's idea of a fair wage was skewed, considering he had never earned one. Although the thought did provoke him after seeing Judy's paycheck; a bank notification had appeared on her phone informing of her paycheck's auto-deposit. It was lower than he expected.

It was still in the early morning, the light from the curtainless window was beginning to peek into the room of the new couple.

"Why were you looking at my phone anyway?" Judy said, her query turning into a short squeak as Nick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Your alarm went off," Nick said quietly, rubbing his chin on the top of Judy's head, feeling the fur of her ears against his cheek. "Didn't want my sweet little puff losing any sleep during her 'vacation.'"

Judy let the phone in her paw fall to the bed as she suddenly lost interest. "Nick… The way you talk to me…" She said quietly, finding one of his paws with her own and holding it in place.

"You don't like the way I talk to you?" Nick teased. He knew exactly what he was doing, and what effect he was having on her. He relished being able to make someone feel that way.

"You know I do, I'm just not used to it." She smiled shyly, though Nick was too busy softly nuzzling the fur on her head and ears to notice. "No one's ever talked to me or… treated me like you do."

"It's called 'appreciation', I'm _appreciating_ you." He said, continuing to feel her fur against he normally slept with his shirt on, he found that he now much preferred sleeping shirtless. "If you really want me to stop though, I can give it my best shot."

"No-no-no, don't stop." She snickered sweetly, she turned to her side to face the half naked fox that was 'appreciating' her. "Don't you ever stop."

"Oh, but surely you'll grow tired of this?"

"I don't want to get used to this." She gave a pleased hum, "Maybe, I… want your affections to overwhelm me every time. You'll have to get creative."

With that, Nick gave an approving titter and continued with his 'appreciation', with Judy shyly following suit. They felt each other's fur, exchanging quick pecks on the lips, and learning the shape of the other.

Judy delighted in this new world, this new experience of being affectionate with another. Growing up, Judy had no mind to even imagine what it would be like, to be with another, to touch them, to sleep in their arms. And even further from her imagination did she ever expect these experiences to be with a fox, a predator, her best friend. This all nearly overwhelmed her, but it was what she wanted.

If only such moments could last forever. A rabbit and a fox who cared deeply for each other, taking in the simple yet profound sensations of one's paws feeling the physical form of the other, drifting back into a lazy sleep. Despite these precious moments, the world keeps moving, and the clock keeps ticking.

Judy's ringtone. A jovial, yet attention-demanding, tune played in the bed, somewhere in the mess of blanket and pillows.

She balked at the noise, interrupted from her 'appreciation' session, and spun around to search for the pesky device.

"Hmm, and the phone successfully steals the attention of my darling rabbit." Nick chuckled. "Guess now is a good time to get out of bed." He teased as he stood up and started looking for his clothes, something he tended to haphazardly toss about the room anytime he took them off.

"It's my parents," Judy said. She noticed that the call was requesting MuzzleTime, but with a quick assessment of the state of dress of not only herself, but her still unannounced fox boyfriend, she deemed it unwise to accept. "They usually never call this early…" She answered the call as audio-only.

"Hey, guys!" She answered cheerfully, "How are you?"

"Hi, sweetheart!" The voice of her mother greeted, "How's the recovery going? Leg feeling OK?"

"The leg?" She pondered for a moment. In fact, her recovery had gone so well, and so quickly that she had forgotten about the now bandage-less and furless spot on her leg. "Ah, I'm feeling great! The wound's closed now, I should be able to start jogging again soon." Putting the call on speaker phone and setting it down on a pillow, she sat up on the edge of her bed and started swapping out her short pajama bottoms for her jeans.

"Oh, that's great news!" Bonnie said, relieved, "Judy, I'm so sorry I haven't been able to call sooner, I've just been so busy. What with the weather control stations acting up, and the frost that hit our crops last year…"

"The weather control?" Judy asked, confused. She pulled on a pink button-up shirt, "Yeah… Dad said you were busy at one of the weather stations when he came to get the truck."

Stu chimed in, "The weather's been acting really strange, especially this time of year. Bon's been busy with some of the other farm owners trying to get everything straightened out with the weather boys. Two nights ago it rained like the dickens, even though there was none scheduled, almost near flooded one of the radish fields. Somethin' real funny going on with those stations."

"Huh, strange…" Judy pondered, looking over to Nick, who was finishing straightening out his tie. He gave her a wink, which she smiled at, then he quietly left the room, slinking off to the bathroom.

"Anyway," Bonnie said, changing the subject. "Don't you worry about it, your father and I will get that figured out. But Stu tells me that your new friend Nick is helping take care of you— the fox that you were on the news with?"

"That Nick fella still around?" Stu asked, "Or did he finally go home?"

"Yeah, he's still here," Judy confirmed, "He's been so nice, and—"

"Well, let us say hello, dear," Bonnie said eagerly, "I want to see the fox that helped our daughter save Zootopia!"

"Oh, um, he just left, I think he went to the bathroom," Judy said with some relief. She picked up the phone and switched the call to MuzzleTime, now that she was fully dressed. "We just got out of bed so—"

As she quickly realized what she said, her eyes grew wide as she gauged the reaction of both her parents. It's not that she was avoiding telling them, but perhaps doing so over the phone wasn't quite the right way to come out as being in an interspecies relationship.

"Out of— uh… _different_ beds!" She quickly and awkwardly corrected. Of the quick assessment she was able to take of her parents' reactions, Bonnie looked confused, however… Stu had a stark look of sudden realization on his face. Judy let out a forced laugh, "You see, he's been sleeping on the floor and—" She started kicking a loose blanket and pillow onto the floor to provide proof of her claim. It wasn't necessary.

"Uh-uh, Bon?" Stu quickly grabbed the attention of his wife, "Judy's on vacation until next month, what'ya say we have both her and Nick come on down to the homestead?"

"Wait, wha—?" Bonnie tried to respond.

Stu took more of an effort to steer the phone call, speaking quickly, "I'm sure Judy's really tired since we called them so early, and I'm _sure_ it'll be great to get the two heroes of Zootopia to come on down for a little celebration. That sound good to ya, Jude?"

"Uhm, uh yeah!" Judy nodded enthusiastically, getting what Stu was trying to do, "I mean I did leave last time in such a hurry, it'll be great to see everyone under these better circumstances."

"I guess, but," Bonnie was confused, "Wha— Stu what's gotten into you?"

"I, uh, you know me," He talked awkwardly in a low voice, "It's always great to have Judy with us, especially with _everything that's happened over the last few days._ "

There are times when Judy appreciated the relationship she had with her father, and this was one of those times.

"Hmm," Bonnie eyed Stu suspiciously, then looked back at Judy, "Well, as long as that sounds OK with you, Judy. Don't want to wear out your leg and all."

"Y-yeah," Judy agreed, "What with my second big arrest being _another_ mayor, and I even asked Nick to be my partner on the force— It's such a long story, _It's probably stuff I should just tell you guys when I get there._ "

"So it's settled!" Stu proudly declared, "So we'll see you at the station tomorrow morning then, Jude?"

Nick quietly re-entered the room, though Judy made efforts to allude that he did not.

"Yep! I'll see you guys then." Judy confirmed.

Nick calmly pretended to not exist, padding around the room until the rabbit family said their goodbyes and Judy ended the call. She sighed.

"What'd I miss?" Nick asked, grinning. "Why're there blankets on the floor?"

Judy let herself fall backward onto the bed and covered her face with her paws. Nick came and sat next to her.

After a moment of quiet grumbling, Judy spoke, letting her arms fall back to the bed, "You wanna go for a jog with me, Nick?"

She was smiling. Who knew what was going to happen in Bunnyburrow? Despite all the unknowns, she trusted her family, and she trusted Nick.

"Your smile is the most amazing thing in the world, little puff." He swooned, laying down on his elbow next to her.

"So, is that a yes?" She asked again, her ears blushing from the compliment.

"And the shade of red your ears turn when I talk nice to you—" He continued, "Are you sure you're all mine?"

"Ach," She covered her face with her ears, hiding from the embarrassment. "Are you always going to do this to me? Make me feel this way?"

Nick chuckled and moved closer, he moved her paws and ears away from her face to see her goofy smile again.

"I would hope so." He smiled back. "I just love seeing those teeth when you smile."

"Nick, I have bunny teeth." She grinned wider, becoming self-conscious about her smile. Judy was an animal that rarely felt bashful, but there was something about allowing herself to feel this way with Nick… "Dumb, bunny teeth"

"Mm-hmm," Nick nodded, moving his muzzle closer to hers. "I know, that's why I like it."

"I like seeing your smile, too. Those sharp, sly fox teeth of yours." She replied, spending some time to take in the feeling that watching Nick's teeth gave her, especially with him so close.

"You gonna tell me how your conversation with your parents went?" He said, their faces almost touching. "I'm dying in anticipation here, carrots."

"Hmm, maybe later." She teased, bringing up a paw to feel the side of his face. "Kiss first."

"Ah, a fine price for information." A price that he was all too willing to pay.

* * *

 _Noon_

"So we're going to break it to the parents, then?" Nick asked, not really fazed at the news.

After some time spent kissing, Judy had gone on her morning jog, something she had not been able to do since becoming injured at the museum. Nick had declined to join her, simply saying; "Can I jog? Yes, I can jog. Do I want to jog? No, no, I do not."

The two were now on their way via Nick's car to his apartment so he could get some necessities ready for their trip to Bunnyburrow. A trip he found he was rather excited to take.

"Yeah, I told them we'd be in Bunnyburrow by tomorrow morning," Judy admitted as she turned at the traffic light.

"Know how long we'll be there?" Nick asked, taking a mental tally of what he should be bringing.

"Um," She thought for a moment, also trying to concentrate on driving, "I guess we can just leave whenever we want, it's not like I made a commitment to staying longer."

"Hmm, a fox in the bunny house." Nick tittered, "Can't wait to see how this plays out."

"Eh, you'll be fine" Judy shrugged dismissively, "You're actually not the first predator to date a Hopps."

Nick lifted up his sunglasses and gave Judy a curious look, "Really? Don't tell me this is a common practice in your family."

Judy laughed at that, "No, no, no, it's not common. Let's see…" Judy took a mental total of all the predator relationships in her family, the ones she could recall anyway. "I am the… fourth in my generation to date a predator." She declared proudly.

Nick lowered his sunglasses and shook his head. "Fourth, huh? Guess you can't be the first everything. Although how many siblings do you have anyway? Like 30?"

Nick was highballing his estimate.

"Three hundred and thirty-four," Judy said, matter-of-factly.

Nick choked on his own tongue, accidentally inhaling some of his saliva. "Ack!"

"My parents had their last litter just over six years ago," She continued as Nick coughed. "Around the time I started school for my Criminal Justice degree."

"OK, OK," he said, struggling to clear his throat. " _Wait_ , so you're saying in your family of three hundred kits, that's not even _including_ the grandkids?"

"Don't even ask how many kits there are in that generation because I have no idea." She laughed, seemingly missing that Nick was overwhelmed at the very concept of such a huge family.

"This is how I die…" Nick teased, half snickering, half groaning. Suddenly he didn't feel so up to the task of visiting Judy's family. "Nicky… this is your last hustle, you're not coming home from this one."

"Oh, Nick, stop it." Judy laughed back, "Everything will be fine, you'll like my family."

While Stu seemed to have figured things out on his own, would Bonnie accept Nick just as well? While Judy didn't have the answers, she would handle it just like she handled any other of life's hurdles: as they came, and with confidence.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Nick asked, still in a teasing tone, "Even if my big mouth gets me in trouble and they roast me alive, I can't realistically feed your _entire_ family."

"Ugh, Nick!" Judy giggled, pulling into the parking complex that Nick had marked on her phone's map in advance. "My family has ways of stretching out meals." She said with a sinister look. The two snickered heartily at that.

As Judy looked for a place to park Nick's car, she felt confident, capable, ready to handle any situation, as long as Nick was by her side. This was bolstered by her new found confidence in herself since solving the Night Howler case.

A headstrong rabbit and her snarky fox, an unlikely pair, and an even more dubious bond between them. They would need the confidence they held in each other over the next few days. Because who really knew what tomorrow would bring? The day was only starting, and plans… plans can change.


	23. Often

**Edited by:** Jeinu, Hunter715, Erinnyes, LotharHex, and DrummerMax64

Once again, thanks to my editors for catching stuff I couldn't see after reading my own chapter several times. I'm amazed at the amount of embarassing mistakes they were able to find.

Contrasts is now available in German! It's currently being translated and is at Chapter 2 as of this writing. But uh... apparently I can't post a link to it here. You'll have to check the AO3 version for the link :( ... It is being Translated by Mr. Manchas, I am humbled by his willingness and dedication to bring this to German readers. I am only beginning to learn German, but so far, his rendition is spot on!

* * *

"You, uh..." Stu started, putting his hands in his back pockets. It was his tell for when he was about to bring up an awkward subject. "So, 'bout that Nick fella."

 _ **Two weeks earlier**_

 _Saturday, August 11th, 20X8_

 _Noon_

 _Hopps Family Homestead, Bunnyburrow_

Judy groaned, shaking her head. "Dad, how much did you hear?" She knew the answer of course. There was only one way this conversation was going to go, and she wasn't in the mood, even if it was with her father.

She was back in Bunnyburrow, after having surrendered her badge and leaving the police force… and Zootopia. Despite just talking with Lily, Judy wasn't quite ready to talk to her father about this. She always did find it easier to open up with her younger relatives.

"Uh, well," Stu waved his paws about before resting them on his hips, avoiding eye contact. "Just when you were talking about- well, I just wanted to make sure you, uh-"

"You heard everything."

"Yes, yep, yeah, I sure did." Stu quickly admitted, then went quiet.

"Well, there it is!" Judy raised her arms in defeat. She was embarrassed, frustrated, but oddly relieved. She hated keeping things from her dad. But she wasn't exactly in a talking mood, considering that conversation was meant for her young niece, Lily, and not her nosy father.

Stu made an odd expression as he scratched the fur under his hat, which caused it to slip from his head. He adjusted it awkwardly, catching it before it fell.

"Well..." Stu sighed. He paused for a moment before coming over to sit next to his daughter. "Judy, hun... Why didn't you just tell us? You've been holed up in your room since ya got back, we're all worried about you."

Judy didn't respond but took in a deep breath, eyes closed. Her head hung low, ears hung lower.

"Your mother and I can't help ya if we don't know what happened," Stu continued, "And you've never been the type to… you know, keep quiet… about _anything_."

Judy still kept quiet. She didn't know what to say, and even if she did, what good would it do? These thoughts were unfitting of Judy to be sure, but here she was, thinking them.

"OK," Stu nodded, gently laying his paws on his knees. "I know you'll talk when you're ready, I'll, uh… I'll leave ya be." He started to get up.

"Dad," she finally spoke. "Remember before I left for the police academy? Right after I got my Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice?"

Stu slowly let himself sit back down, "Yah, boy, do I." He recalled fondly, giving Judy a rub on the shoulder.

Judy finally looked up from her forlorn expression, a small grin. "You and mom didn't think I'd actually get that far. You thought I would've lost interest, or changed my mind or…"

"Settled," Stu finished for her. "Settled for something else, something less."

"Yeah…"

"But that's not you, Jude," Stu said encouragingly, "Your mother and I found that out pretty quick. Ever since you were seven years old, you never gave up on that dream. You trained every day, you learned everything you could about law… You aren't the type that quits."

There it was, the reason Judy didn't say anything, the reason for the embarrassment that made her hide in her room, away from the gossip of her family. The reason she felt trapped in her own mind, locked in a prison of her own making.

Stu caught on to this as Judy slowly returned to her droopy state. It was no use, Judy wasn't ready to open up, and Stu just had to be patient. Maybe it was time to change the subject.

"So, um," Stu spoke again, "This Nick fella. You got feelings for this fox?"

"Hmm?" Judy said, not sure what it was her father would say exactly. She wasn't expecting to come out as being attracted to a member of someone outside of her species, but… "Dad, it doesn't matter. Nick… doesn't want to talk to me anymore."

Stu nodded, he had gotten that much from his accidental eavesdropping. "But, you like him, don't you?"

Judy shrugged, "Yeah, you could say that. But like I said, it doesn't matter. He won't talk to me, he won't even let me apologize." Her eyes became glossy at the thought of Nick ignoring her, but tears would not come, nor did she want them to. She was a rabbit that rarely cried, and the few times she did cry over Nick was enough. She was tired of this, tired of feeling sorry for herself, tired of crying.

"You can talk to me about guy troubles, you know," Stu offered, noticing her inner turmoil. "I may not look it, but when I was younger, hoo boy. Your old man has some pretty angsty stories to tell." He spoke in a joking tone as he nudged Judy on the shoulder with his elbow.

Judy smiled ever so slightly. Her father's jovial nature had its uses sometimes.

"Dad, no offense," she started, looking up from her sorrow. "But you don't exactly hide the fact that you dislike foxes. And here is your daughter, admitting to liking one. Sorry, but I don't really want to talk about him right now."

She was right. After all, before she left for Zootopia, he _had_ attempted to give her a "gift bag" full of nothing but anti-fox ordinance.

But still, Stu had to do something, _anything_ to be there for Judy, and she definitely needed guidance. Despite her headstrong and determined attitude, she was still young, and she was dealing with so many new emotions. Just how much did Judy care for Nick? Was that part of the reason she came home so crestfallen and defeated?

"OK, Jude," Stu relented, "But I just want you to know: when you're ready to talk, your mother and I love you. And we'll be ready to listen any time."

Judy looked at Stu, appreciative that he was willing to back off. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

The two shared a comforting embrace, Judy giving her father a peck on the cheek. The hug ended as Stu got up from the bed, giving Judy another pat on the shoulder. He pulled the door to her bedroom open but stood there for a moment.

Judy wasn't ready to talk, that much was obvious. But how could Stu turn around his daughter's opinion of him? So much had changed in the time she had been gone, so maybe…

"Hey, Jude," he turned around, "Do you, uh… think you might wanna take your mind off Zootopia for a while and help me and your mother tend the veggie stand over by the South interchange? It's real peaceful out there this time'a day."

Judy thought for a moment, maybe it would be a good idea to get out, but she couldn't imagine it would take her mind off her worries.

"Sure, dad." She nodded.

"Perfect! It'll be like old times. Just you, me and your mother."

Stu turned around and hopped down from Judy's cubby, shutting her door behind him. If he could change Judy's mind about how she thought Stu felt about foxes, maybe she'd be more open to talking about her troubles.

He walked down the deserted hallway, most of his older children had left the homestead to help with the fields. And the younger ones usually spent time in the upper playroom, which was probably where Lily had run off to. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number.

The name appeared as it dialed out:

"Gideon D. Grey."

* * *

 _ **Present Day**_

 _Sunday, August 26th, 20X8_

 _Noon_

 _Nick's Apartment, Savanna Central_

"Here we are!" Nick proudly announced, stepping aside to allow Judy into his apartment. "It's not much, but it's a little place I like to call home… _sometimes_."

Judy looked into the darkened room, there were no light sources from what she could see. Despite the dark, she bravely yet slowly walked into Nick's living room. Or at least, she thought it was a living room.

"Nick?" She asked, confused. She felt a chill as she walked in, the room was frigid, "Why is it so dark?"

"Oh!" Nick snapped his padded finger as he rushed over to open the thick drapes that covered his window. "There."

Light filled the room, it was small but not cramped like Judy's apartment. She could see it was an open floor plan with a small kitchenette, dining area, and living room in view. It was minimally furnished; an orange couch sat in front of a very large TV, accompanied by a crowded coffee table. In the dining area, a fox-sized round table with three chairs was all pushed against the wall. Books, newspapers, and magazines were stacked on and around the table, all seemed to be business and finance related. In the kitchenette, the countertops were much too tall for a rabbit to use without a stool. The counters were bare, a contrast to the messy dining walls were just as minimal, completely white and void of any decoration.

Nick stood by with his paws in his pockets as Judy took in the view of his apartment.

"So?" He asked, grinning at her surveying, "It's not under a bridge, but it's home. _One_ of them. What do you think?"

Judy let out a hum as she looked around, not quite sure what to think. "I… wow." Was all she had to say, a look of wonder on her face.

Nick raised an eyebrow and gave his usual smirk, "It's not _that_ special." He came up from behind her and let his arms drape around her shoulder.

"Considering the size of _my_ place, this place has so much room to stretch out!" Judy admired, feeling the warmth of Nick's forearms around her chest, a welcome relief from the cold air. She hugged them close, "You actually have room for a couch. _And_ you have more than one room." She gestured at the dimly lit hallway.

"That just leads to the bedroom and bathroom," Nick chuckled, "But you're right, your place is pretty cramped. But again, it's not something out of the ordinary for city living."

"Why was it so dark when we came in?" Judy finally asked, hugging Nick's arms, "And… it's so _cold_."

"Well, first of all, I can see in the dark." Nick reminded, shrugging, "Second, I just prefer it really cold. No insidious backstory there."

She walked forward as Nick released her from his light embrace. She still didn't quite know how to take in all this new information about Nick. There was so much to learn, so many secrets to uncover.

"I was about to ask how you could afford this," Judy started, walking over to the couch and hopping onto it to sit down. "But then I remembered the whole hustling business."

"Heh, it took more than hustling," Nick explained, "This place was meant for a taller mammal type. There's a trick to city living; rent an apartment that was meant for someone bigger than you, and you get more bang for the buck. You see? Well… you also have to _pretend_ you're a larger species to get the lower rental rate."

"So… smaller mammals are charged more for bigger living spaces?" Judy asked, fascinated.

"An elephant renting an elephant-sized apartment is going to pay a lot less than a mouse renting the same apartment." Nick explained, "It's part of the Size-Fairness Act, something they came up with pretty quickly after Zootopia was founded. Essentially it all boils down to; 'pretend to be bigger than you are, and you pay less for almost everything.' It's more complicated than that, but it does have its… loopholes. That's how my Jumbo Pop hustle worked. Mice pay a disproportionate amount for _quality lumber_."

"Huh, that makes… _sense_." Judy was unsurprised at Nick's knowledge of gaming the system, and they were beyond a point where she would scoff at such things, so she merely picked up a magazine from the coffee table.

"Why do you have so many business magazines?" She asked as she flipped through it, immediately noticing that there were several paragraphs highlighted.

"Hmm, maybe it's because I happen to be a good business mammal." Nick came around the couch to sit next to her, watching as she stopped on a few pages.

Nick put his arm around her waist and she leaned into him, still flipping through the magazine.

"Someone seems to have an interest in a certain company," She pointed out, noticing that a lot of the highlighted paragraphs were about a company called 'BCP'.

"You finally get to see my apartment and you're already looking for clues." Nick shook his head, then leaned his muzzle tenderly on her head to take in her scent, his cheek brushing against her upright ears. "BCP was part of a… 'hustle' I did a long time ago." He tried to speak carefully as if he was admitting to something she would scold him over.

Judy simply sighed and closed the magazine. "BCP went bankrupt a few months ago, didn't it?"

"Yep," was his answer.

"…Did you… have anything to do with that?"

"Did I cause their bankruptcy, directly or indirectly? No, no I did not. Trust me, little puff; I didn't do anything illegal."

Judy tossed the magazine lightly back onto the coffee table. She still wasn't sure how to feel about Nick's past, nor did she know if it would come back to bite them. But she knew she trusted him, and she believed in him.

"If you want me to tell you, just ask." He offered, lifting his muzzle from Judy's fur. "No more secrets."

Judy looked up at him with a reassuring smile. "One thing at a time, Slick. Let's wait until _after_ you meet my family, then you can try to scare me off." She teased.

Nick gave an assuring titter at that, but a fake one. There was something on Nick's mind. Did Judy know him well enough to catch on? Maybe. Either way, Judy didn't react to it at first, instead choosing to put a paw on Nick's leg with a pat then started feeling the fabric of his khakis.

"Nick," Judy started after a moment, looking up at him, "Are you OK?"

Maybe she did catch on, Nick was confident in his ability to hide emotion. Years of hustling had honed his ability to do so, from his control of his facial expressions to his body language. He looked down at her, wondering what gave him away.

"Your tail stiffens up when you're worried about something," Judy revealed, "And it's wrapped around me right now." She patted the edge of his tail, which was indeed wrapped around her from behind. The tip of his tail peeked from the opposite side of her leg, it twitched at the touch from Judy's paw.

Nick let out a chuckle, "Looks like you found my tell, little puff." He pulled her closer, "But like you said, 'one thing at a time'."

Nick's tail was the source of multiple weaknesses for him, including being touched, and sometimes moving subconsciously. In this case, moving around his bunny, the bushy fur of it feeling her form, her warmth. Another weakness was that it did indeed stiffen when something was bothering him. He attempted to relax it, to little avail.

"I think I at least owe you the effort of listening," Judy affirmed, rubbing both his leg and his tail. "After all we've been through, I think we can work through your past together. There's so much to learn about the mysterious Nick Wilde."

"Hmm, so naive." Nick teased, "You sure you know what you're signing up for, little puff?"

"Nick, just tell me you've never killed anyone. Let's just get that out of the way right now." She demanded, half-joking.

Nick grinned and rose his right paw. "I, Nicholas Wilde, have never murdered, or otherwise caused physical harm to another mammal." He lowered his paw back around Judy, who snickered at this display. "I promise, Judy. I may have been some low-life con-mammal, but I had… _have_ principles, and I stick to them."

Judy leaned her head against Nick's ribs as the two sat in the cozy fox-sized couch. While Judy wasn't quite ready to hear all of the 'hustles' Nick had pulled in his past, it was at least comforting to know that Nick had standards. At the very least, it was a start. But who knew what the next day would bring? How much could Nick tell her before she started questioning her feelings for him? While they were valid concerns, they were unfitting of Judy. Regardless of what the future held, she would enjoy the precious time spent with Nick and the way he made her feel.

"If we weren't together," Nick started, rubbing Judy's opposite shoulder as he held her. "If we didn't feel this way about each other. Do you think you still would want me to be your partner?"

Judy thought for a moment, just what was it that made her trust him so? What made her want him as a partner? Was it her feelings for him?

"Yes," Judy said resolutely, "Even if we stayed friends, I would've wanted you to be my partner."

Nick allowed a sincere smile to appear on his muzzle. "You really mean that? A shifty, untrustworthy fox is cop partner material?"

Judy moved her paw from Nick's tail up to his chest, feeling the silk shirt glide against the fur underneath.

"You're not shifty and untrustworthy. You're smart, and you know how to do the right thing." Judy said, not a doubt in her mind or voice. "And _I trust you with my life_. You're the _best_ mammal to ask to be my partner."

Nick brought up a paw to meet the one on his chest. He gripped it tightly in place.

"Hmm, 'The way you talk to me…'" Nick said, quoting Judy, yet mirroring the same sentiment. "Promise me you'll always talk to me like this."

Judy hummed approvingly, intertwining her smaller fingers with Nick's larger ones. Despite the size difference, they were a perfect fit.

"I'll promise only if you do the same for me." Judy offered.

"As if there was any doubt," Nick said as he leaned his head to give a tender kiss on her head, her long ears flopped lazily against the headrest of the couch. She sighed at the affection and relaxed even further into him.

They said nothing more for a moment. Just sat in the silence and enjoyed each other's company.

The bunny pressed up against Nick made him feel content, warm, as if nothing could interrupt their time together.

The fox that cradled Judy made her want to melt, his warmth and scent made her shiver. No one had ever made her feel this way, and she was glad that it was Nick that would be the first.

Yet… Everyone has worries, and these two were no exception. There were still questions to ask, secrets to uncover, and loose ends to mend. There was still no cure for the Night Howlers, and a city fox would soon find himself in the countryside visiting his bunny girlfriend's massive family…

And what exactly was Nick planning in the past, getting himself involved with companies like SinistraNova and BCP? What was _Judy_ doing, secretly working with Mr. Big? Was she still working with him?

Nick still had his secrets, and Judy had some secrets of her own. In spite of all this, they were content in the moment, they would deal with life's hurdles the way they always had: as they came, with confidence, and _together_.

Judy listened to her fox's heartbeat and the air that filled and left his chest. Nick was alive and warm. Her eyes slowly closed. She felt safe, peaceful, and above all, she felt at home. There were many other places for Judy to be, but there was no place quite like being next to Nick. Her tall, handsome, smart-mouthed boyfriend was precious to her, no matter what tomorrow would bring.

"Are you… _drooling_ on me?" Nick asked quietly.

Judy's eyes snapped open, "Hnnuh? Am I?" She asked groggily. She pulled her head away from Nick's chest, her cheek was damp, and a wet spot on his shirt solidified the answer: Yes, yes she was.

"Oh, gosh," Judy said embarrassed, quickly taking to rubbing her shirt sleeve on the drool spot to mop it up. "Ahhh, I'm sorry!"

Nick laughed and grabbed her arm to stop her from wiping the spot. "Hey, hey, it's OK. I have a million of these shirts, carrots. Besides, I didn't know bunnies could drool, that's so _cute_!"

"Ugh. How long were we lying here?" She grumped, rubbing the drool spot on her cheek, "Did I… fall asleep?"

Nick shrugged, "You probably did, we've been sitting here quietly for a while, not sure how long." He huffed, after blinking a few times he massaged an eye with his paw. After a moment, he used a padded finger to adjust something, and his eye teared up.

"Hmm? What's wrong with your eye?" Judy asked, confused.

"I, um…" Nick started, his eye looked irritated. "I didn't bring my contact retainer to your place so, I kinda slept with them in. I need to swap them out."

Judy stared for a moment, processing. "Wait-wait-wait… you wear _contacts_?"

Nick sighed and stopped messing with his eye. "Yeah, that a problem?"

A smile crept across Judy's face. "So, that means…"

Nick raised a brow, "Means what?"

"Y'know." Judy drew out the words as if doing so would help Nick understand what she wanted.

"Hmm, no I don't think I do."

"That means you should at least have one pair of glasses."

"I suppose I do." Nick slowly affirmed, not liking where this was going. "I never wear them, they're just in case I—"

"Can I see you wear them—?"

"No," Nick quickly yet sternly shot down the request.

"Wha— Why?" Judy whined.

"Because no."

"Oh, cmon!" She pleaded, "Just for a _second_ —"

"Do I want to put on my glasses? No, I don't want to put them on. And no means _no_ , carrots."

It was apparent Nick was not budging on this, whether it was to tease her, or if he just really didn't want Judy to see him in glasses, Nick was adamant.

Relenting, Judy rolled her eyes, " _Fiiine_."

"Glad we could come to an understanding," Nick tittered, pulling Judy closer with both arms, causing her to squeak. "Now let us never speak of this again."

Judy laughed at that but mentally vowed that this wasn't over. "Hmm, so what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Judy asked, yawning. "I'm getting a little hungry, maybe you could show me the first episode of Star Boars like you promised."

Nick gave his usual foxy grin, "Now that's a good idea."

"You do have this _massive_ TV," Judy said, looking at the elephant-sized screen hanging on his wall in front of the couch.

"Mmmm, no, _this_ TV won't do." Nick got a devilish look in his eyes. "Plus, the Star Boars we're going to watch is on an original film reel. There's only one place in the city you can still watch one of those. Let me go pack up for our trip tomorrow and we can grab some chow before we watch the movie."

Judy could feel the excitement. Nick was, of course, talking about the mysterious 'best place in the city to watch movies.' She would get to see another one of his secrets, one that couldn't possibly come with any negative backstory… right?

"You mean, you're finally going to show me this marvelous 'movie destination' of yours?" She raised her brow, returning the devilish grin.

"Yep," He confirmed, "Little puff, today, I'm going to show you my most prized possession."

Despite Nick's grandiose tone, he was still downplaying it. Judy truly had no idea what Nick had in store.


	24. Go Awry

**Edited by:** Jeinu, LotharHex, Hunter715, Erinnyes, and DrummerMax64

Again, I have to thank my editors for slogging through this latest wall of a chapter. The shear amounts of fluff and non-plot in this chapter has made it much bigger than I expected it to be, and I wasn't able to break it up due to pacing.

Up next, I'm working on not one, but two Stark Contrasts chapters. Ch. 3 will take place during the chapter, and Ch. 4 will take place afterward. Both should post pretty close to the same time. I'm also working on Chapter 5 of Constants, my sleepy country romance.

I'm not sure when they be finished exactly. My place of employment recently suffered some heavy lay-offs, fortunately I survived, but now I have the workload of my peers who are no longer working with me :(. My writing schedule is a bit thrown off as a result, but I will get them finished as soon as I can, be patient with me!

* * *

 _Sunday, August 26th, 20X8_

 _Noon_

 _Nick's Airfield, Harbor Industrial_

"So… you _own_ this place?" Judy asked, she found the property familiar, holding a special meaning for her. It was here she regained her friendship with Nick, and shared a tender moment with him. But, at the time, she had not the mind to ponder its true purpose, or why she found Nick there that day.

"Yeah— Well, I _didn't_ for a while. Until pretty recently, it was…" Nick hesitated, not knowing for sure exactly how much to tell his cop girlfriend. "I… 'lost' ownership of it… when my mom went into debt. But I traded for it to get it back from Mr. Big."

Judy wandered forward, Nick in tow, crossing the all too familiar bridge. She took in the sights of the huge abandoned lot, wondering what stories it held. Questions raced in her mind, but she was confident they would all be answered in due time as Nick revealed his secrets.

"It's so big…" She marveled, "How much of this do you own?"

Nick thought for a moment, taking in the view of it with her. "Hmm, not sure really…"

"You don't _know_?" Judy asked, finding that peculiar. "Although I wouldn't be surprised if you owned all of it, this part of town seems pretty abandoned."

Nick nodded, "This is Harbor Industrial, generic name. Back in its heyday— which was before I was born, by the way— this place was pretty much the center of manufacturing and heavy industry for Zootopia. It was abandoned after most companies started outsourcing to other nearby territories, like Ibexas, Northern Federation, even Bickerat. I guess it was cheaper, don't really know for sure."

Judy found herself enjoying the explanations of Zootopia's history from Nick. He had a great storytelling voice, she noted. Smooth, charismatic, and oddly… sexy. The way he waved his paw at the vista of the emptied industrial lot as he spoke, his expression, his _smile_. She found herself giving him a wide grin as she looked up at him with interest.

"This itself is an airfield— _was_ an airfield," he continued, gesturing around him. He emphasized the fact that it was now something else entirely (what exactly, she had yet to find out), and then pointed out a broad warehouse they were walking towards, "That used to house one of the biggest airships in Zootopia. The airship is _long_ gone now, but the airfield and the hangar it used to be housed in is still here."

Nick held her hand, squeezing it affectionately. He was uneasy, as if telling her the wrong words would cause her to become upset, distraught… _disappointed._ While he knew that he couldn't move on with their relationship if he held onto that fear, Judy had no idea what he would be revealing to her today.

" _This_ is where we're going to watch the movie?" Judy asked, tilting her brow as they walked closer to the massive hangar. It looked abandoned, lost to time, yet strangely it appeared to have been recently maintained, at least in some aspects. Still, "You sure this place is safe? Do I need a tetanus shot?"

"Judy," he started, his smile faded slightly, his heart beat faster, "This place... is special to me. It has a lot of secrets... ones that I'm afraid to show you."

Judy sighed a bit, taking in another breath before speaking again. "Show me, Slick. I can take it." She gripped Nick's paw a few times in assurance.

Nick tittered a bit, his smile returning at her reassurance. "Like I said, little puff. You might not know what you signed up for, but shall we head in?"

Judy slowly showed Nick a devious grin, "Just try and scare me away."

Nick let go of her paw; they had reached a double door, next to a much larger set of doors. The large doors seemed to be permanently sealed, and the smaller ones were to be used instead, her curiosity burned _wildly_. Nick jogged up and picked up a sign that lay on the cement ground.

"Judy," Nick said, before revealing what the sign held on its front. "Allow me to introduce you to 'Wilde Times'." He grinned, turning the sign around.

 _Francis Wilde's_

 _WILDE TIMES_

 _Theme Park_

The rest of the smaller lettering was illegible, lost to decay.

"You—" Judy began, her eyes lit up in surprise, her ears rose to full stance, "You own a _theme park?_ "

Nick tossed the sign into a nearby shrub, then clapped his paws together to dust them off. "Yep!" He answered proudly, turning around and pulling out some keys to unlock the door.

"Who's Francis?" She questioned further, despite her excitement to see inside.

He didn't answer, but finished unlocking the door and pulled it open. The door was large, as if meant for much greater predators, although Nick didn't seem to have too much difficulty opening it.

"After you," He grinned, motioning a paw for her to head inside.

She let it go, trusting him to explain when he was ready. As she headed inside, the familiar smells of a theme park wafted from within. Machine oil, butter, artificial grass. Judy struggled to see; it was dark inside, and only the light behind her and a few holes in the distant ceiling illuminated the interior.

"You know I can't see in the dark as well as you, right?" She said, impatiently waiting to be able to see what was inside.

"Yep, I know." Nick said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him, removing the light with it. "I'm trying to set this up as a big 'turn on all the lights at once' kinda thing, you see?"

"Well, you definitely have showmanship." Judy complimented, looking around the dark hangar. She could make out odd shapes in the distance, but couldn't quite tell what anything was.

Nick gently grasped onto her shoulders, "C'mon, I want to take you to the middle, then I'll turn the lights on."

"Nick, I can't _see_."

"I know, I know, just trust me, I'll guide you." Nick quickly assured, ushering her forward. "There's some stairs going down here, watch your step."

Judy slowly felt around the ground for the steps, only able to see the sunbeams that peered in through the roof above. It was hard to tell exactly how tall the room was, but the stairs she walked seemed to extend it further. The air was somewhat stale, dusty.

"Just how big is this place?" She asked.

"You'll see." Nick hushed. "Patience, Carrots."

Finally, the stairs ended, she could feel the felted surface of the floor against her feet.

"Would you mind putting your ears down?" Nick asked, playfully pawing at one of her ears, "They're brushing against my snout."

"Mm, I can't see," Judy repeated. "I want to make sure you aren't going to walk me into anything."

"I thought you trusted me," Nick said, a feigned hurt in his voice, "You can tell with just your ears? Like echolocation?" Nick was genuinely curious, yet skeptical.

"Uh, no." She shook her head intentionally, causing the tips of her ears to brush against Nick's muzzle. She felt him twitch at that. "I can hear our voices echo out, anyone can tell when you're talking in an open room as opposed to a wall. Bunnies can just do it a bit better."

"Right, so 'echo location,'" Nick chided playfully.

"Nick, I'm not screeching into the darkness and I'm not a bat."

"Yes, _but_ , you just used the word echo. You're using our echoes to find our location. Echo location, with a _space_ in the mid—" Nick tried to finish before Judy elbowed him in his stomach. He laughed it off, "Right, suppose I deserved that."

Judy said nothing and continued walking forward. Only emitting a pleased hum, no doubt to use in her 'echo location.' She lowered her ears in compliance with Nick's request. He patted her on the head in approval.

Nick continued to lead her through the darkness slowly, carefully navigating her—

"Oof," Judy felt herself nudge into something lightly.

"Oops, that's the drink stand." Nick chuckled nefariously.

"I thought you could see where we were go— ack!" Another object.

"Vending machine."

"Ugh, Nick!" She nudged him in the stomach with an elbow, "You're doing this on purpose!"

"Madam, I assure you that I'm doing this because it's funny." Nick continued chuckling, "Sorry, puff puff, couldn't resist."

Judy grumbled, "I trusted you…"

"No, I've shattered my little bunny's trust in me!" Nick teased, but quickly decided to concede, "I won't do it again, promise."

"Sheesh, where are you leading me? This place feels enormous." Judy whined in excitement.

"Calm down, we're here." Nick stopped leading her and released his paws from her shoulders. "Wait there."

Before Judy could think about responding, Nick whisked away.

"Hmm, yeah, OK, Nick, I'll just wait right here." She mumbled lightheartedly to herself.

She was excited, wondering what she would see when Nick turned on all the lights. She looked around expectantly, as if the lights could blare on any moment. What would an old abandoned theme park look like? Was this place ever open to the public? Was it even finished? Questions swam in the darkness, as if imagining the questions' physical form would help her visualize the park itself.

Moments passed, it was quiet. She raised her ears, listening. She could hear scurrying, footsteps.

"Nick?" She spoke, no response. After a few moments, "Nick!" She yelled louder.

"Ach, almost done!" Nick called back, he was pretty far, up higher than she was. "I need to replace some fuses…" Nick trailed off as if talking to himself, but Judy was still able to hear him, "Haven't really been inside this place for a few years, guess I haven't really been here since I was here with… her…" Nick sighed as he clicked something into place. "There!"

It was gradual, a humming sound kicked on, followed by a deeper tone. Dim lights came on, then brighter ones, then alternating ornamental ones, until the whole park came to life.

Judy gaped at the sight, taking in the view. She stood under a tall tower, lights flashing whimsically from cables that extended from the tip of the tower to other parts of the park. A Ferris wheel started turning in the distance, a nearby roller coaster moved its train into a locked position ready to accept passengers. She stepped away from the tiki hut, literally labeled: Tiki Hut, and stood beneath to take in the full range of sights. The warehouse was fairly large, larger than she had expected given that she had seen the outside.

A large disco ball spun in the center of the ceiling, lights that reflected from the top of it displaying a leopard print light pattern along the entirety of the ceiling.

Bringing her paws up to her gaping mouth, "Sweet carrot cake." She whispered to herself. There was all too much to take in at once, Judy was overwhelmed.

Neon signs that blinked in the shape of palm trees, tall towers that were connected via wooden bridges, a rock climbing wall, a long winding slide that seemed to extend to the ceiling, a rock formation complete with a running waterfall that emptied into a large pool. The pool itself was empty, but slowly filling, a layer of grit lined the bottom. Judy shook her head, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"I take it that you approve?" Nick said, finally coming to rejoin his bunny. "It's not much, but it's mine."

Judy turned to face Nick, a look of wonder on her face. "N—Nick!" Was all she could manage.

"Take your time," he tittered, crossing his arms and bringing a paw up to his chin. He patiently waited as Judy continued to process what she was seeing.

She quickly took off jogging toward the other end of the park. Nick shook his head, grinning as he ran after her. It was as if she was a child seeing a theme park for the first time. He had to make sure she didn't get into any trouble.

Judy looked up at a huge rock formation that seemed to be the entrance to a ride. "Roar-a-coaster" The sign read in large red letters, the neon lighting accentuating its importance. It was in the middle of the park, as if it was the crown jewel.

Nick caught up and stood next to her, relishing the look of wonder in her eyes. He said nothing, waiting for Judy to speak first.

"Nick…" she said, seemingly incapable of saying anything else but his name.

"Yes?" He said, his paws in his pockets. "Can I help you, madam?"

"I… don't know what to say!" She shook her head, still not believing what she was seeing. Her boyfriend owned a theme park, one that she had never heard of and tucked away from everyone else, in an old empty part of the city.

"Obviously." Nick teased.

"Nick, this is _amazing!_ " She walked towards the entrance to the Roar-a-coaster. "Why… _how_ do you…"

"Deep breaths, little puff." Nick coached, "A lot to take in, I know. Now before you get _too_ excited— I don't know how safe most of these rides are, it's been awhile since any maintenance was done on them. But me and Finnick have used them now and then."

"When… when was this park closed down?" Was her first question. She leaned down to pick up a flyer from the ones scattered on the ground.

"Technically, it was never _open_ to begin with."

Judy turned to look at Nick, she held the flyer in her paws. It read "Wilde Times!" in large lettering, followed by a sales pitch. It looked to be amended at a later time to read "Francis _and Son's_ Wilde Times!"

"Are you… is 'Francis' your father? Did he own this place?"

Judy obviously had a lot of questions, but of all the questions to ask… "Let's go back to the Tiki stand," Nick said, deflecting her question. While his smile remained, his voice lost its charm. "I'll make you a drink, you like Piña Coladas?"

"Nick?" She said, noticing his change.

"I…" Nick said, realizing what he was doing. He turned around, allowing his fake smile to fade. "Judy, I'm sorry. I knew you'd have a lot of questions, and I thought I'd be ready to answer them all. But…"

Judy dropped the flyer and walked over to him to put a paw on his arm. "But you're not," she finished for him.

Nick sighed, and shook his head. But he tried to force himself to answer anyway; after all, 'no more secrets.'

"Francis is…" Nick started, but hesitated. The wall he built around himself was highly insurmountable, more so than he had expected. "Yeah… he's my dad. We don't talk anymore. Let's just leave it at that for now."

Judy rubbed her paw up Nick's arm, "OK." She gave him a warming look, sincere, and trusting. "Talk when you're ready."

He looked back at her, taking her paw from his arm into his other paw. Feeling the back of her paw with a thumb, just to make sure she was still real. She was so small, yet so special, so powerful. He let his grin reappear on his face.

"And if I take forever to be ready?" Nick asked, half-teasing.

"Then I'll wait _forever_." Judy said back matter-of-factly. "Like I said, Slick: when you're ready to talk, I'm ready to listen."

"Ngaah, OK." Nick said, beginning to walk back to the Tiki hut, Judy in tow. "Enough of the sad stuff, let's have fun today."

"Right." Judy agreed, "So, how about that drink?"

"Hmm… about that." Nick started, remembering one important detail. "The drink syrups in that Tiki hut are probably expired… at least a decade or so."

"Oh… _ew_." Judy chuckled. "Then… how about we go get the food from the car? We can start watching Star Boars. Where are we going to watch it? A back room or a mini-theater?"

Nick simply looked down to his curious bunny, a devilish grin on his muzzle. He pointed upwards with a clawed finger.

Judy looked up, only seeing the ever extending ceiling, and the disco ball that projected a leopard pattern onto it. But something she didn't quite notice before, a large white canvas, tattered slightly along the edges, hung from the ceiling.

"Ohhh," Judy said, "Are we going to watch from the tower?" She gestured towards the tallest tower in the park, the one with light cables reaching to nearly every corner of the building.

"Mmm, not quite, thinking higher." The smile on his muzzle only grew larger, his voice became giddy.

"I… is there somewhere else I'm not seeing?" Judy could honestly not see any other way that the movie would be visible at that height. "We'd have to fly to be able to—"

Nick suddenly stopped walking and crouched down to her height. "Ohhh, someone catches on _fast_ ," He practically squealed out of delight. "Tell you what— tell you what— You go grab the food while I set it up."

"Set _what_ up? We're going to fly up there?" Judy said, utterly confused, her brow furrowed.

"You'll see!" He said, speaking as if he were an excited kit, "I'll meet you back at the Tiki hut when you get the food, 'kay?" Before Judy could answer, he took off running, his tail swaying back and forth in his sprint.

"Hey, wha—" Judy tried to say, but relented, deciding to let Nick have his fun. She almost laughed at his childish display. "Yeah, OK, Nick, I'll just go get the food." She said in a rough voice, rocking her head side to side.

Nick was truly something to be treasured.

* * *

"Nick?" Judy called, having arrived at the Tiki hut with the two bags of Grazian take-out. He seemed to be elsewhere; Judy could hear the faint sounds of tinkering somewhere in the distance.

"Hey, fluff!" Nick called down from the second floor. "Up here!" He pointed in the direction of a staircase that could be used to reach him.

Judy looked from the staircase back to Nick, "Uh, OK, but what about the—"

"Just leave the food at the hut!" Nick waved his paw excitedly, "We'll come get it later, I wanna show you how we're going to fly!"

Judy grinned, wondering what antics Nick could possibly mean. Would they really be flying while watching the film? Or did Nick have something else in mind? Either way, Judy was wildly curious. She complied, setting down the food on the bar counter and started jogging over to the stairs. There were still so many things to process, she passed by attractions, rides, colorful shops, all of them flashing, demanding her attention. But they would all have to wait, Nick had a special surprise in store. Even more so than those already revealed.

The stairs led up to a walkway that rounded around the entirety of the building's second floor. The walkway adjoined what appeared to be a racetrack meant for small karts. She made her way along the walkway to get to where she saw Nick, and came to a peculiar sight. In an alcove, almost hidden away from the rest of the park, was a small blimp, and beneath it was an old van, suspended from the blimp via fiber metal cabling.

She slowly walked toward the contraption, curious, yet flabbergasted. It was in contrast with the rest of the park, in which everything was in an aged, yet pristine, order. This however, this was something completely different, crude, yet… practical.

Nick stepped out of the van, using the walkway that extended from its floor to the catwalk of the small hangar it occupied. He dusted his paws, a proud look on his face. "So! What do you think?"

The van was open on one side, the sliding door removed, in which Judy could see a couch facing outward, complete with a mini fridge. Judy suddenly came to realize the use of this apparatus.

"Nick," She began, shaking her head. The expression on her face was… undecided, a mix between astonishment and incredulity.

"Yes?" Nick urged for a response. "It's amazing, isn't it? Me and Finnick built it a few years ago and—"

Judy started snickering, unable to hold in her laugh, "Nick, first of all, this looks really unsafe, second, this looks so _stupid_!" She laughed harder, shaking her head.

"Ouch!" Nick put the back of his wrist against his forehead. "Such a harsh critic, I'm not sure if my artist's heart can take it!"

"Oh, Nick, stop it." Judy snickered further as she walked over and lightly punched him in the stomach.

"Oof!" Nick held his stomach in mock pain. "My artist's stomach." He crouched down on his haunches, cradling his poor midsection.

"Nick…" Judy rolled her eyes. "You're such a _dork_." She took advantage of his crouching height and pulled him into a tender kiss.

"Mmm, my ahrtiss mouf," Nick whined as Judy kissed him. She gave his fluffy cheeks a playful tug as he feigned distress. Soon enough, a goofy smile slowly overtook Nick's face and he pressed his forehead to hers.

Judy snickered once again as she turned Nick's face side to side in her paws, rolling him around on her forehead. "You're a dumb fox."

"And you're an emotional bunny." Nick replied, a smug look on his face, "I think you got a little short-changed on that deal there, little puff. You can't fix dumb."

"Maybe I don't want to," Judy said, pulling him in for another quick kiss before she released him. "But, this dumb fox expects me to ride in this contraption."

"So…" Nick started, putting his paws in his pockets. "I take it you don't want to?"

"Nick, look at it," Nick did so as Judy gestured to it. "It's a… _van_ that's hanging from a _blimp_. You just told me how you're not sure how safe all of the perfectly fine looking rides and rollercoasters are. How do I know it's not going to fall off? How does it even fly?"

"Ok, first of all, it's not going to fall off," He walked up the ramp and hopped into the van. "See?" He started jumping in the van and trying to rock it. The cabling securing the van to the blimp seemed stable enough, with the van only dipping slightly below the ramp that led into it. "Second, I know this is safe because Finnick is actually a certified welder."

"Ugh, how does _welding_ have anything to do with this?" Judy scoffed, "He's probably not an aircraft mechanic."

"Trust me, fluff," Nick hopped out of the contraption and knelt back down to Judy's height. "I've ridden in this thing so many times, it _is_ safe." He took her paw into his. "I would _never_ put you in danger."

Judy thought for a moment, making a half-grin while doing so. Nick looked at her with sincere eyes, the same look he gave during the museum.

Judy sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. Show me the world, Nick."

"Yes!" He hissed triumphantly, he scooped her up into his arms, causing her to yelp in surprise. Nick began talking in a mock intercom voice as he started walking up the ramp. "All passengers, this is your captain speaking. The flight will be leaving momentarily, so please have all bunnies secured and in place as we ascend. Thank you for flying aboard the Airship de Wilde."

Judy laughed at that display. "Nick, if we die, I'm going to murder you."

"If you murdered me, that would be homicide. And as a cop, you can't do that. That's _illegal_." Nick sniveled, setting her down on the couch inside the 'airship' before plopping himself down next to her. The airship rocked slightly at their tomfoolery.

Judy gripped the sofa, eyes wide with sudden uneasiness, "Whoa, Nick, you said this thing was stable."

Nick chuckled, "Relax. It's OK, the blimp just needs a little more heat." Nick rolled back off the couch with a swift lunge, "Sit tight, fluff."

Judy looked around the quaint airship, as Nick fiddled with an extremely dated, bulky laptop on the catwalk. The floor was lined with a shag carpet. While it was clean, it was a horrid green color. The van itself seemed pretty intact, despite its sliding door having been removed. The mini-fridge near the back hummed, keeping its contents cool.

"Nick?" Judy called, "It's actually a little hot— this park doesn't have a huge air conditioner does it?"

"Good call, I'll take care of that too." Nick said, typing away at the computer.

Judy stood from the sofa to get a better view of what Nick was doing. She could hear odd sounds, not from the computer, but from… the blimp? No, the _air_ , all around her. It felt like pressure being shifted, and the sound was subtle, dull, like the slow groan of glaciers crushing into one another. "What are you—?"

Nick tapped at one last key; the lights of the building flickered, and a deep thrum could be heard emanating from elsewhere in the park, somewhere so low and deep she was certain it came from underground. Just how _big_ was this place?

The airship shuddered slightly as the floor beneath her feet began to stop swaying, stabilizing. The air around her began to feel cooler, despite no apparent air flow. She held out her paw to make sure she wasn't imagining it. But the warm air of the park was indeed cooling, and fairly quickly at that, though she couldn't fathom how. There were no fans this high in the warehouse, no cooling pads within the van or hidden in the couch. It felt strange, uncanny, as if even the fur above her skin was cooling as well.

The noise stopped, all but a distant and subtle hum.

She tilted her head, confused, sniffing the air and letting her ears seek out other sounds, as if that would help solve the puzzle somehow. Nick gave her a grin as he reboarded the airship.

"Ho'kay, slick." She said, unable to understand what happened, "What in the world was that?"

"Air conditioning," He shrugged.

"Nuh-uh, no way." Judy wasn't buying it, "You're telling me your 'air conditioner' cooled the air in here, _and_ … did… whatever to the air in the blimp?"

"It's a special 'air conditioner,'" He said frankly, grinning. Despite his calm demeanor, he was hiding something, something he wanted to show Judy, something he knew she needed to know about him, "Remember what I said about the Conifer? Moving thermal energy?"

Judy looked around, despite knowing it would do little to reveal the answer to Nick's cryptic question. "Wait, don't tell me the _Conifer_ did that…"

Was Nick truly ready to do this? Nick had a lot of secrets, and while he longed to show them, he found it more difficult than he expected. Would he scare Judy away? In either case, Nick wasn't stupid; if he truly wanted a relationship with Judy, he would need to disclose them. Sooner, rather than later. It was too late to turn back now. He had brought her here in hopes that he would force his own hand.

Despite his inner doubts, he pressed on. Nick came over and put a paw on Judy's head, her ears lowered to allow this. He felt the soft velvety fur beneath his pads. "Not the Conifer. It's in the basement if you want to see it."

"You're so mysterious…" she said in a teasing voice. It was clear from her face she was equal parts bewildered and curious. " _What's_ in the basement? Furthermore, this place _has_ a basement? It's already huge enough!"

"I promised to show you, didn't I? My most prized possession."

* * *

 _Beneath Wilde Times_

Nick's 'most prized possession'. The words repeated themselves in Judy's head as she followed him down a stairwell that was hidden in the back of the arcade section of the park. Judy pondered at the revelation that Nick had not yet revealed this 'possession'. What in the world was it? It wasn't the theme park? Or even the blimp?

At the bottom of the stairwell was a corridor, and a series of doors. The corridor and the rooms it reached were all well-lit, a manner of warehouses, cleaning supply closets, and even a boiler room passed by. Not as glamorous as the theme park just above them.

Her curiosity, and confusion, burned within her. Nick was behaving rather peculiarly, his tail was stiff, despite his face showing no evidence. Judy knew him well enough by now to know he was nervous.

"Nick, are you OK?" She asked, worried. She didn't like seeing Nick like this. She wanted to enjoy the park with him, to watch a movie floating in a blimp made from scrap, hundreds of feet in the air. But she also wanted answers.

"Absolutely, Carrots." He said dismissively. Nick knew what he was doing, he was hiding, and like he had discovered time and time again: Old habits die hard.

"You don't want to show me, is that it?" She grew frustrated, irritated that Nick would force himself to do something he wasn't ready for. Despite his claims otherwise, it was all too obvious.

He ignored her, and kept walking.

"Nick, you don't need to force yourself to do this for my sake. If you're not ready, you're not ready." Judy said.

 _That's just it,_ Nick thought, _if I don't show you now, you'll just find out some other way. And that won't be good for either of us._

Nick stopped walking. Judy caught up and slipped her paw into his. He was in thought.

He let out a sigh, "I _want_ to show you, little puff. Trust me."

"You're not going to show me that you have some secret animal skin rug factory down here, are you?"

Nick chuckled lightly, "Hmm, no, sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart."

Judy gripped his paw a few times, he gripped back. "Then what's the problem?"

"I want…" Nick hesitated. "I want to show you who I really am. So that you can make a more educated decision about… about if you really want to be with me or if you just like what you've seen of me. If I show you everything now, you're finding out on _my_ terms. Not like yesterday, when I had no control over the situation."

No control? Judy pondered what he meant, until she remembered the ordeal with Mrs. Hood at Tony's villa.

"But…" Nick continued, "Every inch of me is screaming to _not_ show you, to not… _scare_ you away."

"Nick…" She pulled his paw, her superior strength allowed her to pull him toward her, he yelped in surprise as she hugged his midsection. "When I said that earlier, I was joking… you're not going to scare me away."

Nick gulped as she hugged him hard, he looked down at his strong girlfriend. Chuckling, he hugged her back. "Cute. But you don't know that."

"Don't I?" Judy asked quietly, unrelenting in her grip of his torso. "Maybe not, but I told you before: I know _you_ , Nick. I _trust_ you… and I can be pretty stubborn. After what we've been through, you should know that by now."

Nick felt reassured, his fears had calmed, but still ebbed at him. "I know." He held her for a moment longer.

"I'm getting hungry," Judy finally said.

The two snickered at that. "Yeah, me too." Nick agreed, realizing that their Grazian food upstairs had probably cooled by now.

Judy released her fox boyfriend and patted him on the arm. "So show me now, or show me later, Slick."

Nick thought for a moment, looking down the long hallway in the direction of whatever he was going to show Judy. Was he truly ready? They had only been together for a few days, would it change the way she thought about him, or scare her away? But if his past came back to bite him again, there was no guarantee that he'd have control over what she found out if he waited. But there were no answers in the underground.

Nick took in a deep breath. "Sorry about the detour, puff." He put his arm on her shoulder and began leading her away, back to their romantic movie date. "We'll wait on this one."

"Always the fox of mystery," Judy said back, a bit frustrated at the tease, but relieved that Nick wouldn't force himself to do something just for her benefit. She was conflicted about the situation, but decided to drop it for now. "I hope you have a microwave somewhere upstairs."

After all, there was plenty of time to bring this up again later. Or so Judy thought.

* * *

"You ready?" Nick sat next to Judy, who had already taken a seat on the sofa inside the van hanging from the blimp.

Judy laughed nervously. "Ready as I'll ever be." She gripped the paper bags full of warmed Grazian food in her lap, her seat belt clasped around her. They hadn't found a microwave as they had hoped, but a heat lamp from an old pretzel display in the Tiki Hut had done the trick after a few minutes.

"You won't need that seat belt, I promise." Nick teased, tapping away at the ancient beige laptop he had taken aboard. "I wouldn't let anything happen to my little cop girlfriend."

"Hey, I trust _you_. But forgive me if I'm a little nervous of this van… blimp… _thing_." Judy said, not willing to unbuckle the seatbelt.

"Hah," Nick chuffed, almost offended, "This van blimp thing has a name, it's 'SkyRunner'. And I'll have you know that me and Finnick worked really hard on it."

"Ugh, OK, Nick." She relented. "I'm _sorry_." She grumbled the next part. "Of all the rides in this place, you had to take me on the one you built yourself…"

"Plenty of time for the other rides later." Nick pressed a key on the computer with an audible click. The restraints that held the aircraft in place released, and the blimp wandered away from its hangar slowly. "We're going to a galaxy far, far away."

"Ugh." Judy smiled, albeit still nervous. "If this thing falls apart midair—"

"You'll kill me," Nick finished for her, "Just so you know, that seat belt is part of the couch. The couch isn't attached to the van."

Judy closed her eyes, a grimace on her face. _Figures…_ She thought. "Fine." She huffed as she undid her seatbelt, but retained her grip on the bags of take-out, as if they would hold her in place.

The blimp slowly made its way over the attractions, drifting ever further from the ground. The disco ball in the center of the room came close.

"Uh… Nick?" Judy spoke nervously, seeing the blimp was slowly wandering towards a slide tower.

"Hmm?" Nick alluded ignorance.

"Nick, there's a—" The tower grew closer, its lights twinkling maliciously.

"There's a what?" He interrupted with his usual tone, the one he used when he knew exactly what she was talking about. "I don't see anything."

The blimp stopped moving forward, its collision course with the tower was halted. Judy let out a terse breath. She had caught onto Nick's overconfident tone, yet it didn't help with her nervousness. She didn't like this ride one bit.

"You know," Nick said, "We've been in much more precarious situations than this. Situations that _you_ put us in."

"I am _aware_ ," Judy affirmed, "You're talking about the time we fell several stories in the Rainforest District?"

"Or when you flushed us down a toilet?" Nick reminded. "I still have nightmares about that."

Judy laughed uneasily, was this some sort of payback?

Nick tapped away at his laptop a bit and the entire park started to dim. The rides quieted down, the lights stopped flashed, and the waterfall slowed, until it too, stopped flowing. The blimp began to rise toward the ceiling.

The park was still lit with an ambient glow, but it was dim enough for movie watching. Judy found this sight oddly calming, her grip on the bags of food lessened. She was still processing the fact that this place belonged to Nick, even more so this blimp that seemed to fly without any obvious method of maneuvering through the air.

Nick leaned over to her, whispering, "I'd never let anything happen to you, little puff. I promise." He set aside the laptop and reached over with a paw to grip hers, ushering it away from the paper bag. With the other paw he pulled the two bags away from her and set them on the floor.

The blimp settled itself along the ceiling of the building, the canvas that Nick had pointed out earlier was now in perfect view. The entire park was barely illuminated with a combination of the rays of sunlight coming in through the imperfections in the ceiling and the reduced lights of the park. Judy was enraptured by the sight of it all. It was almost… romantic.

The canvas slowly glowed to life, the source of the light projection seemed to be coming from the top of the van.

"Nick," Judy finally whispered back, "This is _crazy_."

"Oh?" Nick played innocent, "Don't tell me you've never watched a movie like this before."

Judy scoffed and shook her head, she wasn't going to respond to that.

"Hold that thought," Nick said as he stood up, "I need to get the film reel ready."

As he stood, the blimp gently rocked. Judy finally calmed herself as she watched her boyfriend busy himself with something toward the front of the van. She did trust him, and if he said this van blimp thing was safe, then it was.

"Aha!" Nick said excitedly. He pulled himself back into the rear of the van, but this time with a narrow box. "Carrots, I present to you: an original theatrical film reel of Star Boars: Episode Four. I told you I had one."

He opened the flap of the box and slid out a large circular object. He held it in front of Judy for her to see, but she couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Nick, it's too dark." Judy almost giggled. Nick was excited, jubilant even.

"Right," Nick admitted, forgetting that she couldn't quite see in the dark like he could. He pulled out his phone and fiddled with it to turn on its flashlight.

"Oh, just put it in already," Judy pushed, "I _believe_ you."

"Yeesh, _someone's_ not into movie memorabilia." Nick gave up with the phone and began placing the film into the projector from the panel in the van's ceiling, having to stand on his tiptoes to reach it fully.

While Nick busied himself with that, the screen flickered and danced with shadows, speakers from somewhere in the van began imitating bouts of static. Judy's stomach started grumbling. She unwrapped the containers from their bags and plastic wrap, revealing the still warm Grazian food within. However, as it had been some time since they'd ordered it, the crispy noodles and fried tofu had become soft with the sweet and sour sauce.

Somehow, Judy didn't seem to mind.

* * *

 _Evening_

Nick stretched, his back arched and his toes splayed out in front of him. His foxy yawn displayed all of his teeth as the lights in the building slowly turned back on.

Judy giggled at this display and quickly hugged him.

"Ack!" Nick yelped, his stretch interrupted, surprised by the sudden affection. He patted her on the head, her ears dropping to allow this. "I take it you enjoyed the _cheesy_ movie?"

Judy felt warm, not only from Nick, but from within. She was happy, and filled with her feelings for Nick. Was it from the movie? Who could say?

"Mmm, Nick," She hummed into his chest, "I loved it! Finally I can be culturally relevant. Years of references… it's all coming clear to me now."

"Still have a ways to go, from what I hear," Nick chuckled, "Seems there's a lot of movies you missed out on."

"This was the most over-the-top, superfluous way to watch a movie." Her hug was unrelenting.

"Glad I could give you a good evening." Nick finally brought his other arm around and returned the hug. "You, um… you can let me go now though, you hug like you hit the brakes; really _hard_."

"Hey…" She started as she pulled away from him. Her heart beat faster, her face grew hot. "I want to say something."

"Hmm?"

"I don't know if it's because of today, or the movie, or because I'm finding more about you… your secrets…"

Nick raised an eyebrow, she was being uncharacteristically bashful. He relished the emotions she was showing on her face.

"Nick," She paused for a moment, just watching him, her heart beat to a new rhythm. Despite the signature smug he always wore on his face, there was something about the way he looked at her, an expression he only used when he was with her. This look was precious, a prized possession. "Nick, I—"

A ringtone, Nick's ringtone, as if on cue erupted into the silence, ringing out its annoying chant. If ever there was a time that Judy wanted to enact malicious intent on an inanimate object, it was now.

"Agh," Nick reached into his pocket, "I'll just ignore it—" His eyes grew wide as the phone's touchscreen illuminated. "Oh… right, I— I need to take this. Sorry, fluff."

He gave her an apologetic look as he tapped at the phone and held it up to his ear.

"Hey! Mr. Big, how are you?" Nick's candid tone played through flawlessly.

Judy could hear the voice on the other end, it was indeed Tony.

"Nicky, kid. I hope I'm not interrupting something." Tony said.

"Oh, no, not at all." He lied, "Me and Judy were just watching the original Star Boars and um… w-what can I do for you?"

There was a sigh on the other end. "So, Judy's there, good. You might wanna let the poor girl in on this, but I'll leave that up to you."

Nick flashed a quick look toward Judy before Tony continued. Her ears flickered in recognition, and her eyes met his in the dim light, a concern growing on her face.

"Margaret Hood and I just finished talkin'," Mr. Big explained, "and I got good news and bad news for ya kid: We got you what ya wanted, she's agreed to back off and devote some of her company's efforts toward finding a cure for the Nighthowler serum."

That was the good news. Nick held his breath for the bad.

"But, we got a problem." Tony continued flatly.

"W—what might that problem be?" Nick asked, mentally preparing for the worst. It was now obvious to Nick that Judy was listening in. He tensed, suddenly feeling unprepared.

"Margaret is still here," Tony explained, "I'll let her explain."

Before Nick could protest, the voice on the phone changed, becoming an all too familiar one.

"Mr. Wilde, _darling._ " The female voice spoke, her voice was seething, dripping with insincerity, and yet… "I trust you thought this was going to go according to your ever so carefully laid plan. That I would just roll over and accept defeat."

"Ohh, you got me all wrong there, sweetheart." Nick played off his usual bluff, "You see, I had this deal planned out for both of us to come out with benefits, and—"

"Hmph," She interrupted, "Don't play me for a fool, ' _sweetheart'_. You may have gotten your way today, but we'll see about that."

Nick was taken aback, he had gotten his way? Then what was the bad news?

Nick could hear Tony speak in the background, reminding Hood of their 'deal'. Hood begrudgingly made a noise of compliance.

"Mr. Wilde," Her tone returned to that of forced professionalism, as if she had just been scolded. "I have agreed to… let bygones be bygones, _and_ to commit certain resources of SinistraNova to assisting the University of Zootopia in finding a cure for this 'Nighthowler serum'."

"Oh, you are too kind!" Nick spoke in his overly sincere cadence. She was getting to the bad news, but Nick was going to enjoy listening her grovel as long as he could. "It's so rare that I find someone so caring, so selfless. You truly are kind, Mrs. Hood."

There was silence, Nick could practically hear the eyes of the ermine CFO rolling back in their sockets.

"Nicholas, darling," She started, trying to keep her temper in check. "Mr. Big and I have struck a deal. In exchange for my—"

"Your graciously kind gesture." He finished for her.

"Mmhmm, yes." She let out a fake laugh. "Quite. In exchange, I require your… ' _services_ ,'" she practically spat out the word. "Mr. Big has already informed me of your unusual and… _valuable_ skills, and I have need of them."

There it was, the bad news.

"Ah, madam," Nick said, "Unfortunately, I am most recently retired. Very happily, I might add, and can no longer provide any—"

"Yes, yes, I've heard as much." The scorn in her voice was now taking on a bitter enjoyment, "But don't be so quick to turn down my offer. There aren't too many other pharmaceutical CFOs embroiled in your web of lies to provide your Zootopia with a much needed cure…"

Nick couldn't think of a quick response, his heart was beating. She meant to ruin the deal if he didn't comply. His mind raced for some bit of leverage to hold against her—

"And time is of the essence, Mr. Wilde." She continued, "You will accompany me back to Nova Ferocia tomorrow morning. My private airship is already prepped to receive you and… whatever guests you will need to bring for the job."

Nick's heart sank, he looked toward Judy, who no doubt already heard. She had a look of shock, and of disappointment.

"N-now, Margaret," Nick's facade began to falter, "Surely this is something that can wait—"

"Absolutely not!" Hood snapped back, "This is not going to turn into another one of your games. You accompany me tomorrow, or, I'm afraid I will return back to Nova Ferocia without you, and our deal is _off_."

Nick winced, watching Judy react to Hood's words.

"I require an answer, Mr. Wilde," Hood said. "Mr. Big has informed me of your intention to… 'fly straight'. An admirable goal. The job I have for you will not conflict with that goal, I assure you. I am a mammal of my word."

Nick thought for a moment, waiting for Judy to give him some sort of sign. Anything.

She gave him one. Her paw reached for his. He overturned his empty paw and took hers. Gone was the look of disappointment, replaced by a look of understanding. Judy still believed in him, in spite of what was happening.

"I'm waiting…" Hood spoke again, impatient.

"It's a deal." He said confidently.

"Splendid, I'll inform you about the job when we reach the Federation tomorrow. I look forward to it."

The call ended, Nick pulled the phone away from his ear. Everything felt… unreal.

Judy held Nick's paw, waiting for him to process what happened.

"Guess I'll have to…" Judy started, before letting out a breath, "Postpone our Bunnyburrow trip, huh?"

Nick didn't respond, just putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Judy… how…" He looked away from her, ashamed. His past mistakes were coming back, threatening to take away from him what finally promised to make him happy. Judy had principles, values, and here he was, testing her very limits of such things. Threatening to take her down with him, spiraling into this life he no longer wanted.

"Nick, just breathe." She coached gently.

"How can you be so OK with this?" Nick asked, wondering why she hadn't asked to leave yet.

"I'm _not_ , Nick." She admitted, shaking her head. She squeezed his paw again, prompting him to look back to her, and she continued. "I have no idea what she's going to ask us to do." She explained, gripping his paw in both of hers. "I don't know what other secrets you haven't told me yet, and I don't know if you'll ever be free from your dark past."

Nick was just as uncertain as Judy was, save for the secrets he still held onto. He had been running from his past for so long. Would he ever be free? Would he just drag Judy down with him? What about his new dream of becoming a police officer and being made Judy's partner? Maybe he was a fool to think that was a realistic goal.

Judy put a paw on Nick's cheek, bringing him back to her.

"Look," She requested. "Even though I don't know the answers, even though I don't know what's going to happen, we have to try."

"This fox is dumber than you thought," Nick said, "I might be in a bigger mess than either of us realize. And you still want me to be your partner? You still want… _me?_ "

"There's that pessimism again," Judy smiled, even in the face of insurmountable and _unknown_ odds, she was confident, unrelenting. "I told you already, you dumb fox. I believe in you. I know you'll do the right thing. And she did agree to help find a cure for the Nighthowlers, we can't pass up that opportunity. We can do this, OK?"

"I…" Nick's eyes grew wide at the realization. "Wait… 'we'?"

"If the next words out of your mouth are 'this is my mess, I'm going alone,' I will throw you out of this blimp."

"But, I—"

She put a finger up to his muzzle, "You think I'm joking? We solved the Nighthowler case together, we can handle this too."

Nick didn't speak, just sat for a moment before relenting.

"You can be really threatening when you want to be, Carrots." Nick tittered, hiding his shame. "Although your 'tax evasion' thing was a lot more tactful."

"Eh," Judy shrugged, "You're my boyfriend now, tact is no longer necessary. Now get this blimp down, we need to get ready for tomorrow."

Nick chuckled, "Actually, there's one more thing I want to show you. Not exactly what I expected to lead into it, but…" Nick picked up the laptop and tapped some text into it.

"I think I'm done on the surprises today," Judy said, "If you show me anything else I'm probably going to explode."

"Hmm, exploding bunnies, cute." Nick finished typing and closed the laptop's thick lid. "Trust me, I can still turn around this evening."

"Huh—?" Was all Judy could say before it started. The ceiling above them made a series of clacking noises, as if something was unlatching.

A humming noise began as the blimp started rising again.

"We're going up?" Judy asked, confused, "But we're already…" She looked to Nick, who watched her reactions, his signature smug look on display.

The blimp rose further as Judy realized what was happening; the entire roof was opening from the center. It was originally an airship hangar after all.

As the blimp rose above the opened doors of the hangar, it turned to face the setting sun and dim orange skies. The city around them was alive with the murmur of urban activity. On one end of the horizon, the skyscrapers of Savanna Central were alit, distant blinking lights hovered above as traffic copters made their rounds. On the other, the darkened harbor in Zootopia Sound loomed with its multitude of ships. But their immediate surroundings were sparse, just the warehouse beneath them and the rundown factories strewn with industrial equipment. Hardly anything moved below, only the flickering lighting of the theme park, and the gentle rush of the artificial waterfall.

Finally, the blimp settled, and Nick put an arm around his rabbit, who was still unsure what emotion to express.

"We couldn't really watch the movie out here," Nick started explaining, "It's cooler inside, and my projector isn't bright enough for broad daylight."

"Oh my gosh…" Judy's mouth was agape.

"What? You've never seen a sunset before?" Nick teased.

Judy scoffed, "Nick, we're sitting in a flying van, hundreds of feet above your secret wonderland theme park. This is so… so…" She struggled to find the words.

"Romantic?" Nick suggested.

"This is so _romantic_ that I think I'm going to throw up."

Nick laughed, "Hmm, _exploding_ bunnies… maybe _not_ so cute."

"Ugh," Judy lightly elbowed him in the ribs. "You know… being in a relationship with you, I've realized something."

"Dare I ask what?"

The two watched as the sky slowly turn to a deeper orange. Judy waited to speak, as if what she was trying to say was made self-evident by the moment they shared.

"There's a whole side of life I've missed out on until now." Judy paused.

"What, the pessimistic side?" Nick teased, but curious.

"Hmm, maybe."

"... _seriously?_ "

"No— well, it's hard to explain." Judy thought for a moment, trying to articulate her feelings. "I… I don't know. Let's just shut up and enjoy this, you dumb fox."

"Hmm, OK." Nick agreed, pulling Judy to lean into him, "You're the boss, little puff."

Nick was still curious, but decided to leave it at that. Leaving these candid thoughts to her own private experience was the least he could do after he had teased his greatest secrets. His stomach tensed at the thought of that still, knowing he would need to tell her eventually. His mind was set, he knew he had to be the one to disclose what he knew and had done, but it would be done on his terms. With his voice and his words, on his time. For now, he would enjoy this moment.

As he watched the romantic sunset before them, the city's nightlife awakening, the mysterious gloom of the harbor's waterfront, he found himself instead captivated by the companion beside him. Her head was resting on his shoulder, with most of his body slouched over the couch to allow it. Her ears were flopped over to the side, occasionally twitching against his. It was peaceful, enthralling, and centering all at once to be by her side. To be her partner.

At the very least, it was a welcome respite, considering what was to come in the days ahead.

 _(Stark Contrasts Chapter 3 takes place at this point)_

* * *

 _Night_

"You sure you don't want to come up?" Nick asked as Judy pulled up to his apartment building. "My bed's a lot bigger than yours."

"Thanks for the offer, Slick." Judy said, yawning, "But I need to re-pack for winter weather. And I don't suppose you have any idea how long we'll be up in the Federation, do you?"

"Nope," he admitted, "I guess I'll see you in the morning, then?"

"Yeah, I'll be here to pick you up."

Nick got out from the car, shutting the door behind him. He leaned over and blew a kiss to Judy, who smiled at the gesture before driving off.

It felt strange knowing he would be away from Judy for the night, even though they had only been together for a few days. But both of them had packing to do, and one of them had parents to call.

Nick headed up the stairs to the entrance. It would be a busy night for them both.

* * *

 _Late Night_

Nick grumbled. Another hour had passed, and he hadn't slept a wink. Was it because of tomorrow? As much as he thought about it, that wasn't really the reason.

He reached for his phone, charging on his nightstand. Unplugging it from its charger, he got up from his bed. He wandered out into his kitchen in his usual nighttime attire: a pair of boxers and nothing else.

Despite not feeling particularly thirsty, he filled a cup with water from his fridge dispenser. He paced around his small kitchen, lapping small sips of water with his tongue. He looked at his phone, at Judy's contact picture.

It was the only picture he had of her, which was surprising, he made a mental vow to take more. It was their first date, walking peacefully through Tundra Town, just a few days ago.

She wore a lavender coat with a hood of fluffy white trim. She was smiling, a pristine snow-covered park behind her. Her smile warmed him, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh, Judy, Judy, Judy." He shook his head at the photo, stopping his pacing in front of his window. "What made me fall so deeply in love with you?"

He didn't care to ponder the answer to his own question, the only thing that mattered to him was the outcome: she made him happy and want more from life, and he was indeed, deeply in love with her. There was nothing else to ponder. Everything about her; her smile, her tall ears, her ambition, her limitless energy. Nick wanted all of it.

Putting the half empty cup of water on his counter, he stared at the picture of Judy, a grin on his face.

Nick was tired, very tired. It had been a long day, and an unknown task lay before him: help Hood with whatever undertaking she had prepared for him. That thought by itself wouldn't have been so bad a week ago, when he was alone and set in his ways. Nick was used to the stresses of an unknown job, he'd done it countless times before. He had since built up a resistance to losing sleep over such things.

So the question remained: Why couldn't he sleep?

Nick knew the answer.

He pulled up the phone app on his phone and selected Judy.

 _Maybe she's already asleep, or maybe she's still busy packing._ He thought to himself, chuckling as he realized his thought process was that of a romantically challenged college student. _Maybe I'll just text her…_

He shook his head, deciding to put his phone down next to his water.

 _Or maybe I should just go to bed, you slept with her every night since you started dating her._ Nick scolded himself. _You don't need to be around her all the time._

 _But I want to be…_

He picked up the phone again, typing out a text to her.

( Are you awake? ) Nick hovered over the send button, unsure.

 _You're acting like a needy teenager!_ Nick shook his head. The novelty of these thoughts were amusing, if nothing else. He found himself liking feeling this way over Judy.

And yet his conundrum remained: go back to bed, or try to talk to Judy.

Nick erased the text he had drafted for Judy.

( I can't sleep, any luck on your end? ) Again, he found himself hesitant to send.

He wondered if he could just leave by himself in the morning. Sort it all out, and be back before she could raise a fuss. It was his mess, after all… but… something told him that plan was doomed to failure. Judy would certainly never forgive him for shutting her out again. And now, he wasn't so sure it would be easier. It wouldn't feel right without her by his side. He wanted her to know, to see…

A knock on his door caused him to stir from his sleepy ponderings. He furrowed his brow at the door, staring in the darkness. Who was knocking so late? The only nocturnal mammal it could be was—

Another knock. Nick shook his head and went to open the door.

"Hey, Nick." Judy waved bashfully, standing in the dark hallway with two small duffel bags. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Nick checked his phone just to make sure he didn't actually send her a text. He hadn't.

"Hah, yeah, I know I didn't." She grinned sheepishly, "I was about to text you that I was outside and… I saw the little… 'Nick is typing' message keep popping up."

He shook himself of his sleepy reaction and opened the door, "Two of a kind, you and I."

"I, uh…" Judy rubbed her arm, "I hope you don't mind. I finished packing, and I couldn't sleep, so…" She smiled, hefting one duffle bag higher onto her shoulder.

Nick smiled back, relieved he wouldn't face the night alone. "Come on in, little puff. Let's get some sleep."

* * *

 _(Stark Contrasts Chapter 4 takes place at this point)_

* * *

 **Notes:** If you noticed the place markers stating when Stark Contrasts 3 and 4 take place, no they aren't finished yet, I'm just placing them so there is no doubt as to when they occur. Be patient. :)


	25. A Mammal of Interest

**Edited by:** Jeinu, LotharHex, Hunter715, Erinnyes and DrummerMax64

Thanks to my editors for the invaluable feedback to make this chapter more meaningful and to find pesky typoeos 3

This current chapter got to be really long and I needed to split it up. For those of you who have already seen the illustration I commissioned for the reveal; I'm afraid that it won't occur this chapter :(. But that chapter should be ready in about 2 weeks!

Had a bit of a writer's block for a while, but I'm back again, hope I didn't keep you waiting too long DX

* * *

 _Monday, August 27th, 20X8_

 _Morning_

Nick awoke, immediately feeling something was amiss. He felt around in the bed, something should be there, but what it was he couldn't remember. He slowly opened his eyes, the stray rays of sunlight making him blink. The early morning light barely illuminated the room. Normally, he kept his thick drapes closed to prevent this light, but someone had opened them slightly.

He scooted to the edge of the bed to reach for his pants, spotting the culprit.

Judy was on the floor, stretched out as if to do a pushup, but she wasn't moving, just straining to keep her position while propped up on her elbows. She smiled up at him as she noticed him give a toothy yawn.

"What's up, bunny butt?" He said in a flirty voice, leaning his cheek on a paw as he laid at the edge of the bed, half-naked underneath a white silk sheet.

"Morning, Nicky." She said, straining, "just doing my morning workout, it's been awhile since I've been able to do it."

"Oh? And what exercise is that?" He asked. He admittedly didn't know much about strength training, and that was definitely one he hadn't seen before.

"I'm planking."

" _Planking_? What's that?"

"It's what I'm doing right now."

"I know that, but you're not moving."

"Yep, that's what a plank is!" She grumbled, then said under her breath, "Can we continue this after I finish?"

"What does it work out?" He grinned, knowing full well that he was being a pest.

She made a sound of exertion, "Lots of stuff, but mainly the back and the abs." She started to wobble, struggling to keep her position.

"Hmm, I think you definitely have enough abs." He glanced over her body. Quite the catch he had claimed for himself. He frowned slightly as he noticed she had put on some panties since getting out of bed, considering she had slept next to him in only her tank top.

Judy held her position a bit longer before she gave in to the muscle strain and flumped to the floor. "Oh, yeah, feel that burn." She managed, before slowly getting to her feet and coming back over to the bed. "Enjoy the show?"

"What, is that it?" Nick said, pouting, "Thought I'd at least get to see you do some sit-ups."

"You're awake now, so I figure I'd cut it short." Judy waved a paw gesturing for him to move over. She lifted up the sheet and climbed back into bed with him. "Besides, I've probably been doing squats for about fifteen minutes now, my thighs are burning. It's _fox_ time."

"Aha, I figured you'd be clingy after last night." Nick said knowingly. He pulled her in closer, letting the sheet fall back on them together.

He lay on his back while Judy cuddled up to his side. The feeling of him being so close was still something new to her, and she relished the sensation. The fluffy orange and cream fur intertwining with her own short fur, tickling her skin.

"You haven't seen how clingy a rabbit can be yet."

"Hmm, maybe I'm ready to find out."

"I don't think you are," Judy said, the tease in her voice was apparent as she buried her face into the side of Nick's chest. "Be careful what you wish for. I can't be held responsible for what happens to you when I reach _maximum affection_." Her voice was muffled, but Nick let out a laugh.

With a paw, Nick gently felt the fur of Judy's backswept ears, which were flopped lazily onto the bed. She gripped him tightly, as if she was worried that he would float away if she did not. As she clung to him, Nick couldn't help feeling a warmth spreading through his chest, with the origin being the spot where Judy's head rested on his side. "Whatever happens, I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours. So bring it on, puff puff."

"You're such a sap, Nick." She lifted up her head to give him a smile, one which Nick slowly returned. "When do we leave for Nova Ferocia?"

Nick licked the front of a canine tooth, "She texted me last night after you dropped me off. We've got about an hour or so before we need to meet her at the airport."

"Are we taking anyone else? Do you have a 'crew'?"

"Just Finnick," he explained, trying to think if he was missing anything. "I already called him after I got the text from Hood." He sighed, his expression faltered to a more remorseful one. "Carrots, I really didn't mean for you to get dragged into this, I—"

"Shh," she put a finger up to his muzzle. "I made the decision to go with you. We're partners, remember?" She again showed him the smile that warmed him, an affectionate look in her eyes swept away the doubt.

"Your smile…" Nick said dreamily, bringing up his other paw and using the back of a finger to feel the fur of her cheek.

"Yep, here comes the sap." Judy rolled her eyes, while still showing an affectionate smile.

"I figured you'd be a lot more reserved than you were last night." He said with his usual teasing cadence. "But you took right to what I was offering."

"Well, I guess I surprised both of us last night." She stood her ears up, knowing full well that Nick could see the color they were turning. "I mean, after all of _your_ surprises, the theme park, the… 'blimp', the monster in your basement…"

Nick reached up to feel her tall rabbit ear with a padded thumb, it was warm, and getting warmer. The skin on the inside of her ear was red and turning redder.

Judy's smile could warm him up in the coldest of nights. Which would be useful in the bitterly cold tundra of the Northern Federation, provided they get lost in a blizzard somehow. His own smile faded somewhat as the memory of the task that was set before them returned to him. But he shook it from his mind. Because right now, he would lay here with Judy.

Just for a moment longer.

Nick's phone rang. If there was one sound he was beginning to detest, it was his ringtone. He groaned and let it go for a while before disturbing his comfortable position and went to grab it from his night stand.

"Who is it?" Judy asked.

Nick looked at the caller— _ZOOTOPIA POLICE DEPT_. He showed it to Judy, who promptly crossed her fingers and gave him a conflicted, yet encouraging, look.

"Here I go, perfect time for this to happen, right?" he gulped, preparing himself to put on his best professional voice. He cleared his throat before he answered, announcing proudly into the phone, "You've reached Nick Wilde."

"Ah, Wilde," came a gruff yet polite tone, "Did I wake you?"

"Nope," Nick answered truthfully. He recognized the accented voice, "I'm always an early riser, Chief."

"Good, good." Bogo said, "Wilde, I know this is short notice, but would you mind coming in for your interview today?"

"Oh, t-today?" He cleared his throat again, "I… could clear up my morning for that, yes." He lied, giving Judy a worried look. "Should I come in now?"

 _Great,_ he thought, _If I can get this interview done as soon as possible, I can still meet with Hood on time._

"How about in the next hour?" Bogo offered in a tone that conveyed it wasn't really a question, "Does that work for you?"

Nick closed his eyes, "Uh, yeah. Yep, yes. That works sir." Was it panic that drove Nick's hasty agreement? Perhaps. But Nick was always one to think on his feet. Surely he'd be able to get Hood to wait for him while he had his interview to become a fully respectable police officer of Zootopia. She'd understand.

"Splendid," Bogo said back in a soft tone. "Better to get this out of the way as soon as possible; there's something I'd like to discuss regarding the background check we ran."

Nick's heart sank, they ran a background check? Of course. Why wouldn't they run a background check?

"R-right, you got it. I'll see you soon, then."

"Don't be late." Bogo said briskly, "Speak to Higgins at the front desk, he'll take you up to my office. I'll be doing the interview personally." The call disconnected.

Nick pulled the phone away from his cheek and stared at the phone.

"Background check, huh?" Judy asked.

Nick nodded, "Yep."

"Do you think he found something?"

He thought for a moment. Nick was a very careful mammal, almost painfully so. While he was confident that his record was clean, he still had to wonder why Bogo had brought it up.

"I don't know," he answered, "I doubt there's anything on my record worth mentioning."

"Oh, Nick…" Judy said, obvious worry in her voice. "And what do we do about meeting with 'Hood', or whatever her name is."

"Hey, hey, don't sweat it. I'm pretty sure it's nothing. Also yes, it's Hood, I can handle her."

"Nick, I looked up your background when we first met…"

"Right, I remember." He said, not sure what she was getting at.

"I wonder…"

"Hmm? Wonder what?"

"Eh, like you said, it's probably nothing." She said, scooting out of bed and starting to gather her clothes. "I hope so, anyway."

Nick followed in kind, heading for his closet to find clothes suitable for an interview. He grinned as he eyed a certain garment, "Trust me, puff. I'll nail this interview."

* * *

"You have an employment interview… with the _chief of police?!_ "

"Yep, you see, I'm trying to change careers; Law Enforcement." Nick said, trying to steer the conversation. "The outlook for that field is looking pretty good over the next few years. You see, I've got a friend that works in economic analysis, so—"

"Unbelievable…" Hood said over the phone, her voice expressing an exasperated incredulity. It was all too amusing to Nick, but he pressed on in the most _professional_ voice he could muster.

"I know! Who'd've thought he would want to interview me at such an inopportune time." He let out a false laugh, "Anyway, can you hold the private jet until after the interview?"

There was a silence on the line, and Nick tapped his fingers on the inside of the car door nervously. He looked over to Judy, who was trying to concentrate on the road but had her left ear aimed towards him and the phone.

"Mr. Wilde, I…" Hood was at a loss. Maybe she couldn't tell if he was lying, or maybe she honestly didn't know what to make of it. " _Fine_ , darling." She said at last, her sickeningly sweet cadence replacing her previous tone. "The airship is already prepped, but we will wait for your… 'interview'. Call me when you're done with that, would you?"

"Yep, you bet—" but before Nick could spin the conversation further into his control, she had hung up the phone, leaving a trailing chime followed by silence in his ear. He held the phone apart from his face, checking to make sure that she had, in fact, hung up on him. She had.

"That takes care of that, then?" Judy asked, giving him a side grin.

"Mmhmm," He said, pocketing his phone. His fiendish grin had soured a bit on that ending, but he had more pressing concerns. "On to the next obstacle: my mysterious background."

Admittedly, Nick had never seen his own background report. And again, he was sure that after years of painfully careful planning, and a few data 'corrections' here and there during his more _active_ days, that he would have a spotless record. But one thing still worried him: while his 'official' record was clear, his conscience was not.

While he was honest in that he had never hurt or caused harm physically to another mammal, he had made mistakes, made wrong decisions. After all, nobody's perfect, and Nicholas Wilde was no exception.

 _20 minutes before the interview_

"You ready, Nick?" Judy asked, skeptical. She eyed her fox boyfriend up and down as she stopped at a red light. He was dressed in a blue button-up shirt, although the leaf pattern that was prevalent on his signature green shirt was still present, albeit in a less noticeable darker tone. His tie was purple and had an almost corduroy texture. He wore his usual tan khakis. Judy had doubts as to whether this ensemble was considered good interview attire, let alone good fashion, but now wasn't the time to start second guessing Nick.

"Hmm?" Nick came back from his daze, the car pulled forward and continued on. "Absolutely, puff. As ready as I'll ever be, c—" He coughed roughly, not realizing that he had allowed a pool of spit to collect toward the back of his throat, and he nearly inhaled it. "Carrots." He said after a moment clearing his throat.

Judy had rarely seen Nick nervous. Save for the time they were captured by Mr. Big's polar bears to answer for their crime of trespassing on his property. He normally didn't show that he was nervous, always displaying that annoying grin of his, as if the fox had no cares in the world. _This_ time, the smile was there, but his body language told a different story. Judy still had much to learn about Nicholas Wilde, but she could at least tell this much.

Judy herself was dressed in a simple outfit, a purple long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black jeans. In the trunk of the car were more clothes and their luggage for the trip they would be taking.

"You're sure?" Judy asked again, "I know you said you've never had an interview before—"

"I've been interviewed before, just… not for a _job_." Nick added quickly.

"Right, so we can always do a mock interview for practice. That helped me when I went in for my interview."

Nick gave her a sincere yet nervous smile, "How did _your_ interview go anyway? Did you have to drive down to Zootopia?"

"Well, it was a little over a year ago." She explained. "The Bunnyburrow community college has an annual job fair, so during my final year some recruiters came to the school."

"Community college?" Nick asked, surprised, "So, you have a degree? Or did you just go vocationally?"

"Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice," she said proudly. "Don't worry, it's not necessary to get one to become a police officer."

Nick tilted an eyebrow at this discovery, "Oh? Why'd you go through the extra effort to get it then?"

"If I was going to be the first bunny police officer," Judy explained, "Then I was going to learn everything I could to give me an advantage. I was going to be the best rabbit officer I could be."

Judy turned the corner onto the main street roundabout, a trolley whizzed by as the police precinct came into view. Nick could feel his pulse quicken, this was it, time for another world first: a fox, going in for an interview to become part of the police force.

Judy pulled up on the side of the street in front of the precinct, parking in a visitor's spot. Today, she would be just that: a visitor, emotional support for her boyfriend who would hopefully follow in her footsteps. Nick looked at his lap, opening and closing his paws, his claws gliding over his pants.

"It's strange." Judy said, "…Seeing you nervous."

Nick let out an amused huff, " _Nervous? Me?_ Madam, I'm as cool as can be."

Judy returned the huff, skeptical, "Nick, I can tell when you're lying."

"Hmm, well I'm glad one of us can." He relented, allowing part of his facade to drop.

"The first time I saw you nervous… _really_ nervous, was when you thought our lives were at stake." She unbuckled herself from her seat and leaned forward to place a paw on his knee.

"And they _were_ ," he added, nodding thoughtfully. "Mr. Big is a dangerous shrew."

"Yes, but this time, it's just over a job interview." Judy said, gripping his knee a few times before starting to rub his khakis comfortingly. "It'll be fine, Nick."

Nick put his paw on Judy's smaller one, taking a moment to think, "Yeah." He smiled reassuringly, "After I nail this interview, we'll be partners."

"Cops or not, we're already partners." Judy corrected, putting her other paw on Nick's. He overturned it to take her paw into his. "Let's show the chief that this fox is more than ready to be an officer."

* * *

"Is there a bathroom around here?" Nick asked, "I think I'm going to throw up."

The two sat in a small set of chairs in the foyer of the police precinct, mere feet from a door that read: "CHIEF BOGO" in large yellow letters. As if to convey caution. Or perhaps the letters were golden, the lighting from where Nick was sitting made it difficult to tell.

He always did have a habit of focusing on the irrelevant when he was nervous.

"Nick, you are going to be fine," Judy coached, "I'm more worried about this Ferocia job over your interview, honestly." She squeezed the fox paw that she held with both of hers on her lap. "Let's focus on coming back alive from _that_. This interview isn't going to kill us, at least."

"Carrots, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that one. I've never been killed or have gotten any of my team killed on a job," he said, in a half-joking tone, "and I don't plan on breaking that streak. This interview on the other hand…"

Judy found this to be a source of comfort, albeit an odd one. She still had no idea what would be asked of them, but at least Nick sounded confident about it.

Walking through the police precinct felt strange for Judy. It seemed so long ago that she was here last, though it had only been two days prior to hand in Nick's application to Higgins. When she left after handing in her badge, it was so clear that she may never come back. Now here she was, a police officer once again, and sitting next to her anxious boyfriend, hoping that he could become one as well. So much had changed over the past week.

Clawhauser was still not at the front desk; his replacement, Officer Higgins was still there. Judy made a mental note to discuss this with Bogo after Nick's interview.

While in the precinct, the two had agreed to hide their little signs of affection. Holding hands, walking too close to each other, the like. While they weren't ashamed to be seen together in that light, there were definitely stipulations against dating your partner in the police force. Or fraternization, to be more precise. This resulted in the two acting rather awkward toward each other.

The two pondered on their affectionate behavior in public up to this point. In retrospect, it wouldn't do them any favors. It was perhaps a good thing that Clawhauser was not at his usual post, a fact that Judy felt guilty being grateful for. The boisterous cat would no doubt declare his approval for such a relationship, destroying any chances the couple had at remaining incognito.

Still, they had made their way up to Bogo's office, passing the occasional officer with nary a knowing look. Did this mean that none of the other officers knew of the romantic turn in their relationship? Hardly. There seemed to at least be a silent understanding that, since Nick was seeking employment, they would at least silently agree to hold off on their visible acknowledgment of the subject. Or perhaps Judy was over-analyzing every slight glance and gesture. Despite this, Judy could not resist taking Nick's paw to her lap, squeezing it comfortingly. After all, no one was around to see them at the moment; they would just act casual if a stray passerby suddenly turned a corner. That plan _always_ worked.

They still played a dangerous game: was it possible that, despite their public behavior, and the infamous speed at which word traveled, that Bogo himself was unaware of their relationship? No, it was not possible. Bogo knew and would definitely be making this subject a part of the interview. At least to Nick's knowledge, Bogo seemed to sense the spark of romantic entanglement, despite Nick's best efforts to conceal it. At least, that's what Nick could gather from their conversation after arresting Bellwether just five days prior.

The pair continued to sit in silence, pondering what had transpired to lead them to this moment. And while, surprisingly, this was not the most pertinent moment they were anticipating to face, it was an important one. It was to come almost directly after this obstacle, that they would find themselves, again, facing the unknown.

"Any idea what Hood is going to have us do?" Judy asked, "I know I asked that already but…"

Nick thought for a moment, what were the possibilities? If Nick was good at _one_ thing...

"She wants us to pull a hustle," Nick said confidently, "If Mr. Big really told her what my skills were, or what I used to hustle… I don't doubt that my skills would be valuable to someone in her position."

Nick's words usually had some kind of hidden meaning to them, like he wasn't saying the full story. Judy knew this all too well and had to pick her questions carefully. "So… what _did_ you hustle before?"

"Mr. Wilde?" The water buffalo called, having appeared from his now opened door. Nick quickly took his paw from Judy and got up from the chair. The chief was wearing a pair of glasses and was holding a green dossier.

"Good luck," Judy whispered as he walked by her.

"That'd be me, sir." He said, straightening his gaudy tie.

He motioned Nick in.

As Nick entered, he remembered to center himself mentally as the towering police chief walked by him over to his chair, briefly pointing to the seat that was taller than Nick at front of the desk.

"Have a seat, Wilde." He said gruffly before taking a seat himself.

 _Huh, looks exactly as I imagined a police chief's office would look like,_ Nick chuckled on the inside to calm himself down, _full of pictures of himself with VIPs, certificates, a map with red yarn on it pointing out locations of interest._

Nick hopped up on the chair, rubbing his paws together as he sat down.

"Alright, then." The buffalo removed his glasses with one hoof and plopped the heavy dossier on the desk with the other, "Any questions before we get started?"

"Actually, I—"

"Excellent, let's start with the obvious," The large mammal interrupted, "You know what this is, Wilde?" He placed his glasses on the desk and then thumped his hoof a few times on the dossier.

"Ah, I take it you found my biography, then? Good bathtub reading?" Nick was 100% sure that was his background check. He was a very careful mammal —being a fox, you had to be— but why would the chief bring it up unless there was something questionable in it? It was time to find out.

The chief simply looked at him, and raised an eyebrow.

Nick cleared his throat. He thought he had done a good job of keeping his past a secret. "Well, sir, I… is it chief, then?"

"Bogo, Mr. Wilde." He said gruffly, "Please, call me Bogo. I'm not your chief yet." He said, unsettlingly polite, smiling slightly. "When and _if_ you are hired, you may then call me Chief."

"Bogo, well, sir, I think you'll find I don't have any secrets, no criminal record, no history of any wrongdoing, a real Ranger Scout." Nick grinned slyly, he was confident of that at least. But why was the dossier so thick?

"Well, you are right about one thing," Bogo began, putting on his glasses and opening the dossier. "You have no history of any arrests, warrants, et cetera." He looked back to Nick, showing an odd toothy smile, "Not even a parking ticket. Absolutely spotless record."

Nick wasn't reassured by Bogo's tone.

"However," Bogo continued, returning his attention to the papers in the dossier, "there is one thing in your background check that we need to discuss before we begin." He pulled a single document from the dossier and looked over it carefully. "Around four years ago, you were named a mammal-of-interest by the Zootopia Department of Home Territory Security."

Nick's heart dropped, _there it is, I knew this would pop up someday…_ He struggled to hide this inner turmoil from the chief. There was another awkward pause, something the chief seemed well adept at producing.

"Fortunately for you, this alone is not an indication of any wrongdoing." Bogo finally relented. Nick allowed himself to relax, but kept himself on guard, skeptical at what Bogo was getting at, "However, the DHTS would not provide any details and the information kept on you is confidential. Legally, I cannot force you to provide this information, and I am assured that the case you were involved with has been closed. So I will merely take your word at face value— is there anything in this DHTS case that I should be concerned with?"

Bogo placed the sheet of paper he was looking at facedown on his desk, and crossed his hooves daintily over it, waiting for Nick's response. A small grin appeared on Bogo's face.

 _Does he know something he's not letting on?_ Nick paused as Bogo waited most patiently for his reply. _Either way, that's all in the past, I don't live that life anymore…_

"No, there's nothing in that case that will cause a problem, sir." Nick responded, sternly, almost aggressively.

The buffalo huffed, appearing to consider how to take Nick's response. He gave a lopsided smile, and nodded. Nick realized he was taking very shallow breaths, and consciously made his lungs fill fuller with slower breaths.

"Then, I just have one big question for you, Wilde." Bogo leaned forward, bringing his elbows onto his desk.

"And that would be?" Nick was getting nervous again, but nothing on his face would show that.

"There's no better judge for what you can amount to than yourself," Bogo began. "I can sit here asking a bunch of whacko questions about your strengths and weaknesses for hours, but I only need to know one thing in order to make my decision. This interview is merely a formality. You've already proven your own ability, and that you work _extremely_ well with Officer Hopps."

There was a silence, Nick glanced around the room as Bogo stared at him. _Was that the question?_ he thought to himself, _do I say something?_

"Nicholas Wilde, if I hire you, will you make a good officer?" Bogo asked sweetly while flashing an odd smile at him.

 _That's the question?_ Nick thought before he spoke.

"Yes, sir, I think I would make a great cop," Nick answered with his signature smug tone, grinning. He wasn't sure what the correct answer was. Maybe he should have shown humility, or pride, even hubris? He hoped confidence would win over this potential employer.

There was another pause as Bogo's slight smile slowly faded. _Ohhh, wrong answer?_ Nick started to get tunnel vision as he and Bogo exchanged an uncomfortable gaze.

"Wilde, I didn't ask whether you _thought_ you could be a great cop, I didn't even ask if you _wanted_ to be a great cop."

Nick's smile faltered. His eyes flickered around to other objects in the room, he even began looking at the pattern in the carpet on the floor, as if he would find the proper answer there. He fidgeted in his seat and poked a claw into the knee of his khakis.

" _Look at me_ , Wilde," Bogo snapped, and Nick complied, startled. "I am no stranger to the stereotypes cast upon your species. I admit I may not be the most accepting or inclusively minded mammal, and I would be a liar if I told you that I never brought your species into consideration when I agreed to interview you."

Another silence as Bogo visually sized up Nick, probably not knowing what to make of Nick's facial expressions.

"But… in my age," Bogo continued, relaxing his gaze slightly as he lowered his hooves to his desk. "I find that I am still learning. The world we live in is broken, always has been. Your real responsibility is to this broken world, not to me, not to your partner. You have a responsibility to do your job no matter what prejudices this world throws at you. Hopps is one of the first mammals to prove not only to me, but to the world, that she can be a good cop, regardless of any physical or assumed limitations." Bogo pointed a stern hoof at Nick, "You… are asking to be her partner. I know _you know_ the broken world you and her will face, and all the dangers that comes with becoming an officer. The last thing I need on my force is another _broken_ officer, or a mammal that became a cop for all the wrong reasons."

There was a beat between them before Nick chimed in, "Right, I completely agree with you sir, 100%."

" _Do_ you?" Bogo said, laying both hooves flat on the desk and leaning forward for effect, "Wilde, I know that you and Hopps are close. Are you truly interested in becoming an _officer_? Or are you just interested in becoming her _partner_?"

Nick wasn't quite sure that he understood.

"If something were to happen," Bogo continued, taking the glasses off of his muzzle once again and setting them gently on his desk before re-clasping his hooves. "And Hopps was temporarily unable to be your partner, or perhaps Hopps gets promoted and I team you up with someone else, which is very likely considering her… tenacity, or maybe I just don't feel like giving you a partner and make you work solo— Are we going to have a problem with that?"

"Ah, well sir, I don't think that—"

" _Think_ carefully, Wilde." Bogo warned politely.

"I…" Nick hesitated, his tunnel vision returning. What was it about this water buffalo that made him nervous so?

He had definitely been in situations worse than this. But that was just it. Nick realized something; he wasn't trying to hustle Bogo, nor was he trying to lie or otherwise misdirect him. Nick was asking Bogo to make him more than what he was. No longer did Nick desire to be a hustler, a con-mammal, a liar, nothing more than a sly, cunning, silver-tongued fox. No, Nick wanted to take his life into his own paws, to proudly proclaim that this 'broken world' no longer held quarter over what he could and couldn't be. This was his chance to make it happen.

"No, sir," he replied, and Bogo patiently waiting for him to continue, "whether I am working with Hopps, or someone else. I will do my duty and uphold the law."

Nick found this strange, never had he proclaimed such a thing so sincerely in his life. Rather, he had not proclaimed such a sincere oath since… it seemed a lifetime ago when he first stood in front of Pack 914 and recited his solemn oath. He had learned long ago that his place as a predator, as a _fox,_ was not to be brave, not to be loyal, and most of all, not to be trustworthy. Was Nick ready to unlearn and even defy all that he had spent so long believing? Thanks to a special rabbit from the countryside, he was. Even if it meant not being by her side, he would be the very first fox police officer, and he would be the best fox police officer he could be.

"Good. Then I'll ask you again. Look me in the eye and tell me: if I hire you, will you make a good _officer_?"

For the first time since he stepped into Bogo's office, Nick felt at ease. His past, tumultuous as it was, was behind him. His future, uncertain as it was, was in his control. This, he could answer in sincerity. This, he could promise.

"Yes… Yes, sir, I **will** make a good officer."

* * *

 _Noon_

 _Zootopia Interterritorial Airdrome_

"Mr. Wilde," The ermine stood with her paws behind her back, "If you expect our... _professional_ relationship to continue any further, the least you could do is be on time. I trust that this will not be something you make a habit of."

Nick stood in the bustling terminal as mammals of all sizes rushed to their destinations. Judy stood next to him, and Finnick had yet to arrive. After dropping off their few articles of luggage at check-in, they met with an understandably impatient Mrs. Hood. Outside the terminal windows was a modestly sized private airplane.

Bogo's interview had continued on for a time and Nick was modestly late. And since the Zootopia Airdrome itself was a considerable distance away from Savanna Central towards the city limits, it had been some hours since he initially informed Hood of his interview.

Margaret was rather short, only coming up to Judy's chest. She stood dressed in her usual white suit accessorized with an expensive-looking golden watch on her wrist. Her expression was that of irritation. It was obvious that she did not like Nick in the slightest. She seemed undecided on Judy, though it wasn't favorable given her association.

"I beg your forgiveness, Ma'am." He said in the most sincere voice he could muster, "You are most kind for waiting for us. My interview went swimmingly, I might add."

Hood crossed her arms. She gave another look over at Judy, and the realization finally came to her.

"Hmm, _Officer_ Judy Hopps?" She asked, confused.

"Yes, that's me." Judy confirmed. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hood."

Hood looked from her to Nick, then back to Judy. "Yes, _pleasure_ … you're quite well known in my territory."

"Ah, well I'm not surprised." She let out a short laugh, "It seems that—"

"I have questions." Hood interrupted, " _A lot of them_. But I'm afraid that time is not in our favor, please follow me." She turned, gesturing them to follow her into the walkway that led to her private jet.

"Uh, actually," Nick said, walking ahead of her, "I'm afraid this isn't everyone. I'm waiting for one more."

Hood groaned, "Oh, for the love of—"

"No need to wait," A deep voice spoke from behind. The group turned to find another short mammal spitting out a clean popsicle stick onto the carpeted floor. He walked up to Hood and nodded slightly. They were roughly the same height, Finnick being only slightly taller thanks to his ears. "Name's Finnick, we met already."

"Uh… yes." Hood tilted a brow at him. "I remember you… Finnick, was it? Odd name."

Finnick shrugged, "This your plane?" He walked around Nick toward the walkway, "Better have some drinks and a place to nap, ain't been sleepin' well lately." He didn't wait for a response and continued past her.

"Your friend, he's…" Hood hesitated as she watched the fennec fox disappear around the bend of the boarding bridge.

"Tired? Yes." Nick said, grinning. "Don't worry about him, he'll warm up to you after he gets some sleep. Shall we?" Nick walked over to Judy and picked up her carry-on duffel bag. With his other arm he took her by the paw and led her to follow Finnick. Judy simply gave an awkward smile to Hood as they walked by.

Hood lagged behind, an odd expression on her face as she watched the scoundrel and the police officer walk down the hallway, paw-in-paw.

In Zootopia, anyone could truly be anything.


	26. The Mammal Comes Around

**Edited by:** Jeinu, Hunter715, Erinnyes, , Lothar Hex and DrummerMax64

Special thanks to my beta readers for waiting for me to finally get this chapter ready for reading, and finding a staggering amount of typos and bad punctuation! They found a lot in this one... oh boy.

This chapter got very long, and unfortunately, I had to split it up and just post the first 8k words as a separate chapter, so I apologize for this being mostly plot and no fluff. The majority of the fluff will be in the next chapter and lead into another Stark Contrasts, so look for that next!

It's currently Nanowrimo! So the good news, that means my goal for this month is to write 50k words all for Zootopia! Not necessarily a single story, I'm just going to follow my usual update pattern. Although the bad news is that I'm already falling behind, currently working on Constriction 2 and Constants 7. We'll see how well I'm able to ramp up to my goal and see how many chapters I'm able to write.

* * *

 ** _Three Years Earlier_**

 _Tuesday, May 19th, 20X5_

 _Morning_

 _Zootopia Police Precinct One_

"Like I told you guys last year," Nick recited to the hare sitting before him, "I wasn't even in Ibexas. I don't know what this 'Rubrum' is. Besides, Ibexas is _much_ too hot. I prefer the cold."

Nick sat in a dimly lit interrogation room. An arctic hare in a trim pressed suit sat on the other side of the table. The hare was grinning politely, almost maliciously. His fur was white, with an odd pattern of black stripes along his cheeks that reached to the back of his head. His long slender ears ended with a few more black stripes, an odd color pattern.

Nick was being questioned.

Pythia had advised Nick to come into this 'voluntary questioning', thinking it would be wise to answer the same questions that had already been asked countless times by separate agents. Repeating the practiced, consistent story would only serve to bolster their so-called 'innocence'. Nick had some objections but eventually was brought to submit to his beloved's advice.

 _Sheesh,_ Nick thought amusedly, _is this guy in love with himself or what? He keeps looking at his own reflection in the one-way mirror._

"Yes," the hare spoke, "I understand what was discussed the last time you were brought in for questioning."

"Actually," Nick said, "first I have a question for you, Mr…"

"McRuffage," he replied, "Zootopia Department of Home Territory Security, Special Agent James McRuffage."

"I take it you'd just like me to call you McRuffage." Nick said smugly. "We'd be here for hours if I called you by your **full name**."

"James will do fine, Wilde." James said, placing his paws on the table. "Now, what question do you have for me before we get started?"

"My question is: Am I being detained?" Nick asked, grinning. He knew full well how annoying he looked when making that face. "Am I under arrest?"

"No," James shook his head without breaking eye contact. "You are free to leave at any time and you are not obligated to answer any of my questions. Henceforth, I appreciate your time. It's my understanding that you've received legal counsel this time around?"

Nick nodded, "Correct, and she's a hot one, my lawyer. You'd like her: _fiery_ , yet fur and eyes as white and cold as the Northern Tundras. Unfortunately, you might not be meeting her today."

"Is she not here?" James raised a brow, "Funny, I figured you'd want her to tag along for an official interrogation."

"No, no, she's here." Nick confirmed, looking at the one-way mirror. He made a flirty look and flashed a two-fingered gesture at his reflection, knowing full well who was behind it. "She considered coming into the meeting, but we decided it would be best if I spoke for myself at this time."

James gave a skeptical look at this, "Odd advice."

"Look, bunny—"

"Hare." James corrected.

"Huh?"

"I am a hare, _fox_. Not a bunny. As you can see, I'm much taller than your average bunny." James stood to demonstrate this.

He was right, his figure was much lankier and taller than the average pudgy bunny. If Nick had stood next to him for reference, James would probably come up to Nick's nose, not including his ears. But Nick began to suspect that James had only stood to show off his expensive-looking suit. James sat back down after a beat.

Nick shrugged, "Look, _hare_ , I'm not the lawyer." He let out a yawn. A long, loud, annoying yawn. "Tell me, is it common practice for you mammals-in-black to ask the same questions that you asked a year ago?"

"It's common practice for those that are still suspected," James replied, his tone flat. "The case is still open as you are no doubt aware."

 _The case is still open because you haven't found a scapegoat yet,_ Nick shook his head. "I wasn't aware that I was still a suspect," he began to clack his claws on the metal table in front of him. If this rabbit was annoyed by something, he would find it, "You mean to tell me that you lost a— what, a warhead or something? And you still can't find it? Ibexas may be big, but it's not _that_ big. Sounds like incompetence on your end; why should a respectable citizen such as myself have to pay for it?"

James' ear twitched, "Let's begin with a simple question, Wilde. Where were you on Wednesday, November 14th, last year?"

"I was in Nova Ferocia at the time." Nick said with a level head, "But of course, you already knew that. You saw everything that proved it: my car rental, my hotel stay, my plane ticket. You can see none of them have the name 'Patrick Sternfang', whoever that is."

A strange smile slowly appeared on the agent's face.

"Yes, Nova Ferocia." James said, his cadence had changed, it was more… confident. "I hear it's lovely this time of year."

"Oh, indeed it is." Nick let out a small laugh, "You should check it out sometime."

"Maybe I will," he nodded, thoughtfully, "How's Francis then?"

A pause, as Nick had stopped breathing. Who did he mean by Francis? Francis the polar bear body guard? Francis the moose money launderer? Francis the gerbil? The guy who was always eating? Nick's mind raced.

"F-Francis?" Nick tried his best not to stutter, but failed.

Surely he didn't mean—

"Yeah, you're Francis Wilde's boy, aren't you?" James asked, leaning forward in his chair, "Isn't that why you were there? To visit your father?"

 _Why the hell would he think I would visit Francis?_ Nick's confusion was mounting, _What is he—_

"No," Nick said, after realizing he had held his mouth open without actually saying anything. He shook his head, trying to appear casual, "I-I-I was there to attend a—"

"An ice-cream convention," James finished for him, "yes, I know." He let out a chuckle, "Pawpsicon 20X4, I've heard it's gotten quite large."

Nick didn't like the direction this conversation was going; he was losing control. How could he steer it back to his advantage? Was James bluffing? What could this hare possibly know about _Francis_? If this prick of an agent was trying to throw Nick off his game, he was doing a good job.

"And you heard right, some mammals _love_ their ice cream, lemmings especially." Nick couldn't help but give a look toward the one-way mirror. A look that said, 'help me'. "Wouldn't miss it. I've been attending for—"

"Four consecutive years, yes?"

"R-right!" Nick feigned a cough, trying to get Pythia to come into the room. Why had he agreed to speak to the agent alone? This was a stupid plan. "Four years, yep."

"And with these four _consecutive_ visits, you're telling me you never _once_ visited your father?"

Nick scoffed, "My father… _Francis_ doesn't live in Nova Ferocia." This much he was sure of. But then, maybe he wasn't so sure.

"Oh?" James said, confused, "The information I have says otherwise."

"You…" Nick squinted and tilted his head. Could he possibly know where Francis was? There was no way, absolutely no way, and yet… "I, uh… You know where he is?"

James shrugged, his ears began pointing elsewhere as if following something beyond the room. "I know where _everyone_ is. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't. But I'm afraid we're out of time, Mr. Wilde."

"Out of ti—" Nick was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

A female tiger officer stepped through and held the door open for Pythia. She walked briskly into the room.

"OK," she started, staring at the federal agent, "I believe this has gone on long enough." She turned her attention to Nick, her stern look softened to a smile, "Nick, come with me, please. We're leaving."

"Hmm, who might you be, ma'am?" James asked, seemingly unfazed by the sudden interruption.

"I'm his—"

"His lawyer," he finished for her, standing up and putting his paws in the pockets of his vest. "Yes, I know. But I don't believe I've gotten your name."

There was a beat before she answered, "P-Pythia Olavé."

Another silence. Nick looked at Pythia, then to James. Did they know each other?

"As my client is not being detained," Pythia said, "We're done entertaining this line of questioning; it clearly no longer pertains to the case."

"Oh, by all means." James said with a sickening politeness. He continued to gesture a farewell while keeping his gaze fixed on Pythia. "Nick, thanks for being a good sport. I have everything I need here."

Nick glanced at Pythia, and the stare she was giving Agent James. After a beat, Pythia ushered Nick towards the open door that the tiger officer calmly held open for them.

"Watch the skies, Wilde." Agent James said, his tone implying something more sinister.

What was that supposed to mean? Nick tried to hide his confusion. He had allowed this _rabbit_ to ruffle him too much already. He simply gave a polite smile, shook his head, and took his leave.

He thought nothing of how Pythia lagged behind at the time. Perhaps if he had made an effort to learn more, to dig into why she acted the way she did after that moment, just maybe things would have turned out differently.

But retrospection always determines the best decisions. There was no changing the past, no undoing what was done. The pain was felt and the wounds were struck. And the questions, so many, many questions.

* * *

 ** _Present Day_**

 _Monday, August 27th, 20X8_

 _Afternoon_

 _Hood's private airship, currently flying over Growlorado_

 _Two hours until arrival in Nova Ferocia, Northern Federation_

"Shh, don't wake him up, he's so cute!"

"That ain't cute. And I ain't trying to wake him up, I just didn't know he was asleep."

"How could you not tell he's asleep with him curled up like that?"

"Curled up, _around_ you, you mean. It's strange seein' you too all close like that."

"Eh, I get it, your first time seeing an interspecies couple before, huh?"

"Naw, trust me, I seen inter couples before. Just never thought I'd see Nicky boy in one. Especially with a bunny."

"I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"Hmph, you do look cute together, though."

"You know I can hear you both." Nick said, keeping his eyes closed. "Kinda hard to sleep with a conversation happening. Not that I actually intended to sleep anyway."

"Ohh, sorry Nick." Judy said, although Nick wasn't quite sure where she was, and he didn't want to open his eyes. He was so very comfortable.

He could hear Finnick snickering. "Yeah, that's your bunny, aight." He could hear the sound of a phone's camera shutter.

"Hey hey, don't take pictures of me!" Nick wearily opened his eyes. He stretched and let out a yawn. "How dare you take advantage of a poor, vulnerable fox— have you no shame?"

Judy patted him on his ribs a few times and rubbed him affectionately. He looked around. They were still inside the luxurious private aircraft of their benefactor Mrs. Margaret Hood. The swiveling furniture and the padded fabric that lined the walls was a very light shade of pink, almost salmon. Including the very comfortable two-seater that Judy and himself occupied.

In addition to the large forward-facing two-seater, in front of them there were two ermine-sized seats with a table between them. The size difference was notable, and there didn't seem to be any seats for large or rodent-classed animals. Judy found this unusual, being used to the variety of public transportation Zootopia had to offer. Here, the seats were tailor-made for an ermine and… her family, perhaps? And one or two larger mammals. In all, less than a dozen seats together.

"Yeah, yeah," Finnick was seated in one such ermine-sized chair, seemingly a comfortable fit. "It ain't like you never took a picture a me when I was lookin' like a fool."

"Oh, shush, Finnick." Judy said, "It's not Nick's fault he's so cute when he's sleeping—"

"Oookay," Nick said, gently pushing Judy forward so he could sit up-right. He had fallen asleep sometime after takeoff. And during his sleep, he had laid down, with Judy sitting in the curve of his long stomach as he curled around her, his tail wrapped around her. He had drooled on the seat and part of his paw, and rubbed the spot on the seat in vain, "I'm awake, I'm awake."

"Noo, Nick!" Judy whined at the upheaval of her companion, "Fin, this is your fault."

"Oh, so I'm 'Fin' now, am I?" Finnick huffed, teasing, "Didn't know we was on a nickname basis, Officer Bun."

Nick stretched out his arms as Judy settled back into the seat, pouting at Nick for having moved. His back arched and he made an audible growl, and Judy could swear the base of his tail popped as it joined in.

"How long were you guys talking?" Nick asked, scratching the side of his muzzle, "I thought you were gonna take a nap, big guy?"

"Yeah," Finnick waved a paw dismissively, "looks like you had enough sleep for the both of us." He got up from his seat and made his way to a mini-bar along the other side of the jet.

"It's been about two hours since we left Zootopia," Judy explained. "Hood said she'd come back here after we reached cruising altitude, but she's still up front in the cockpit."

Finnick perused the selection of alcohol before picking out something and returning to his seat. He began to pick at the plastic seal on the tiny bottle.

"Up front?" Nick asked, confused, "Why is she up there—?"

"Because I'm the pilot," a snooty yet familiar voice said. The ermine it belonged to then walked around Finnick's seat, having just come from the small set of stairs that led up to the cockpit. She brought her paws behind her back, "Not to worry, my co-pilot will handle things from here. I trust you are enjoying the accommodations?"

Finnick tossed the small, ermine-sized bottle of wine to the floor and let out a quick belch, "You could use stronger alcohol, this ain't no damn preschool."

Hood looked up at Finnick after watching the empty bottle come to a stop, her eyes squinted as one of her ears twitched. She picked up and tossed it into a trash bin that was hidden away in a compartment.

"You have a lovely jet, Mrs. Hood." Judy said, "The flight so far has been quite comfortable."

"Why, thank you." Hood returned. She walked past Finnick and sat down in the seat across the small table from him, she eyed him again. "Always a pleasure to share my luxuries."

Apparently put off by the snooty ermine that sat across him, Finnick stood up from his seat and headed toward the back of the plane. "Yeh, yeh," Finnick let out a belch, "you guys all catch up and ask your stupid questions. I'm gonna go take that nap. If ya need me I'ma be in this private room back here. Ya don't mind if I sleep in your fancy airplane bed, do ya?" He didn't wait for the answer, and quickly slammed the door to the small private room.

Hood tilted her head slightly at that and made an odd expression. If Nick didn't know any better, it would appear that Hood was disappointed that Finnick had left. Hood quickly snapped back to the target of her questions, giving a sincere grin at Judy. "Judy Hopps… I have questions for you."

"I bet you do, yeah?" Nick said jovially, "How'd a sly fox like me land a hot bunny girlfriend, huh?"

"That is but one of a great _many_ questions." Hood crossed her arms as she adjusted her seat, then crossed a leg as well. "But first and foremost: Nicholas, _darling_. Why on earth did you bring a police officer?"

"Well, ma'am," Nick put his arm around Judy and pulled her close, "may I remind you of your promise that this so-called 'job' would not conflict with my wishes to fly straight. As such, I assumed that you would not be having us do anything illegal."

"You don't have to remind me," Hood replied. "I am a mammal of my word."

"Then I don't see a problem," Nick shrugged. "You get to work with the best con-mammal… _ex_ con-mammal in Zootopia, and I get to have a nice little trip with my girlfriend in beautiful Nova Ferocia. Everyone wins."

Hood humphed, "Mr. Wilde, I don't wish to imply that I doubt your capabilities as a criminal— er— _con-mammal_ as you put it. I'm merely… confused, at your selection of associates. Or is she truly just here to provide you with _companionship?_ Hmm? Perhaps she is just here to see you warm through these harshly cold Federation nights. I hear rabbits are well-known for their... 'energy' in the bedroom."

Nick started, "Mrs. Hood, I—"

"Nick and I are _partners._ " Judy interjected sternly, she took his paw into hers, "Whatever you're going to have him do, I'm here to keep him out of trouble. And I promise you that if you break your word and force Nick to do something illegal, I will bring you down _hard._ Speaking of which, why don't you tell us why we're all here?"

As if taken aback by Judy's response, both Hood and Nick held a tense silence. With wide eyes, Nick looked between Hood and his fiery girlfriend. Hood simply tapped her tiny clawed fingers on the table beside her.

"Y-yeah, what she said." Nick, of course, had meant to say something else, something preferably more intelligent. But it was the best he could come up with after buying some time by clearing his throat, and he winced at the lame response.

"Your passion to speak your mind is remarkable." Hood stopped tapping her fingers and brought them together, bridging them under her chin. She was smiling, though it was hard to say if it was genuine or patronizing. "I expect nothing less from the legendary Judy Hopps. I have a great deal of respect for you, my dear."

"Whatever respect you have for me," Judy said, "You can have for Nick. I couldn't have accomplished what I did in Zootopia without him."

"—Modest," Nick quietly added, pointing at Judy, "She's being modest."

"Hmm," Hood nodded, letting out a snooty little chuckle, "This explains quite a lot. It would seem that Nicholas Wilde is turning over a new leaf, for his new love, as it were. Tell me, tell me, Officer Hopps. Has Nick even told you what it is he did in Nova Ferocia back in June?"

"He told me enough."

" _Has_ he?" Hood laughed, "Because it would appear that you lack understanding of the situation Nick —and by association, _you_ — are in."

"Mrs. Hood." Nick cleared his throat once again, "I assure you that we're quite aware of the situation—"

"Ma'am," Judy interrupted, "I fully understand what's going on here—"

"Carrots," Nick hissed quietly, "Let me do the talking—"

"Nick hustled property from you," Judy continued, ignoring Nick's warning. Nick let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his closed eyelids with a paw. "Three state-of-the-art pharmaceutical production facilities. _And_ agreed on one hundred and eighty _thousand_ bucks per _year_ to keep a secret. A secret in which you _knowingly_ put a harmful and addictive substance in a mass-produced asthma medication that caused permanent respiratory problems for thousands of mammals. A secret that could destroy your career and company."

Nick, now agape, looked at Judy as she continued on. He had not told her the details of the asthma medications' illegal alteration.

"You somehow found out who Nick was and where to find him," Judy released Nick's paw to fold her arms. "But that plan backfired. You had no idea that Nick worked with Mr. Big, who we just happened to be visiting when you called."

"Hah," Hood scoffed, she nervously shifted in her seat, "I fail to see what Mr. Big has to do with any of this."

"When you called Nick," Judy continued, "You truly thought you had him under your thumb. But when Mr. Big became involved, that all changed."

Hood didn't say anything in response, only squinting her eyes. Her ears twitched and her black nose sniffed at the air.

After a pause, Judy continued, "You need us just as much as we need you. So, let's move past the blackmail and work together. What is it that you want us to do for you?"

Hood stayed quiet for a moment longer. Then she leaned forward in her chair.

"It would seem that you have brought a more-than-capable party with you, darling." Hood directed this at Nick, though her eyes remained locked on Judy.

"Ma'am," a voice over the jet's intercom sounded, "We're entering Northern Federation airspace, we'll be landing shortly."

Hood looked at her watch. "I assure you both that I do not intend to keep you in the dark much longer. We will speak more of the job at hand after we land in Nova Ferocia." She stood from her seat and began to head back toward the cockpit.

"Ugh, are you _kidding_ me?" Judy groaned, loud enough for the pompous ermine that irritated her.

"Carrots, fluff, listen," Nick coached, bringing his arm around her and rubbing her shoulders. Hood walked out of view, ignoring Judy's outburst. "Listen, listen, calm down. You've got too many feisties right now—"

"No!" Judy briskly stood up from her seat and stomped toward the door to the cockpit, though she quickly found it locked, and crossed her arms tightly instead. Her left foot started thumping against the carpeted floor. "Nick, remember a few months ago when I told you that you were the most annoying mammal I've ever met?"

"I, uh —remember you worded it a bit different— but yes, I remember that."

"Well, I take it back, that snooty, arrogant little _weasel_ is!"

"I am an ermine, darling." Hood's voice announced over the intercom, "An _ermine_. Now please, return to your seat, your incessant foot-thumping is causing undue turbulence."

" _Oh-oh_ ," Judy threw her arms up and walked back over to sit next to Nick. "That doesn't even make any sense."

"Judy, puff," Nick hushed, "calm down. Just let me deal with her from now on, OK? Rule number one of dealing with tricky customers is to not lose your cool."

Judy shook her head, "Nick, she's not a 'customer.' She's a crooked, arrogant, spoiled—"

"OK—OK, look. I've dealt with her type my entire life, I know how to talk to spoiled executives. Just leave everything to me, OK?"

"Right, fine. Fine." Judy allowed herself to calm down, and then, after a pause, "Nick, she won't even tell us what we're doing here."

"Mmm' well, then for all we know we're here for a nice little vacation with my best buddy Fin tagging along. We've been in uncertain situations before, remember? Everything's gonna be fine."

Judy wasn't quite sure she believed that, but, he was right. They had faced the unknown before, and because of their combined cunning, they had pulled through. They had their current relationship to show for it.

"Puff," Nick said, "How… did you know all that stuff? About what she did with the medication?"

"I, um," she started, pulling out her phone. "I did some research of my own last night, and…"

She pulled up an email on her phone and showed it to Nick; it was sent to her last night. The sender was a 'Jared Slothmore.'

Nick gave Judy a confused look.

"Flash was your source of information, right?" she asked. "When I was working with Tony, he owed me a favor. So I had him send me everything about your 'hustle' in Nova Ferocia back in June."

Nick scrolled through the email; it was indeed all the details about Hood and the job they had pulled. But…

"Why would Flash send you all of this? Even if he owed you a favor…" Nick started to feel slightly betrayed. Not that he was trying to keep this information from Judy, he had hoped to tell her himself. And Flash would never do something like this. Unless…

"Scroll to the bottom," Judy pointed out, "There's your answer."

Nick did so, reading the last paragraph in the email.

 _Let Nick read this part:_ _Hi Nick :)_ _Word travels fast, I know you and the bunny are working together. In more ways than one ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_ _Since we're all going to be working on this Nova Ferocia job together, I went ahead and filled her in._ _Besides, Tony vouches for her. It's one of those "ask for forgiveness, not permission" kind of things._ _P.S. Also, Judy found out about my illegal tax haven and told me she'd forget about it if I complied. Please don't be mad at me!_

"Clever bunny." Nick smiled.

* * *

 _Evening_

"Welcome to Nova Ferocia Inter-territorial Airdrome. To expedite your entry into the territory, please have all required documentation ready and proceed to the queue designated for your species size category." The airport intercom echoed. It proceeded to repeat its message in a language that neither Nick, nor Judy, spoke.

The airport was tall, an arched skylight stretched along the entirety of the main entry terminal. The sky was quickly growing darker with a cloudy overcast, snow fell on the many window panes in the ceiling. The terminal was littered with mammals of all sizes. Judy made a mental note of just how common tundra species were. A far cry from the widely varying species that populated Zootopia. She could see that wolves, caribou, and different types of bears dominated the majority.

Nick donned a fluffy black coat, Judy remarked how handsome it made him look, conforming to his long slender body. He looked suave and professional. Judy herself had put on her violet coat, its fluffy collar warmed her neck. She found herself wishing for gloves, for both her hands and feet. Even in the blistering cold of Tundra Town, there was nothing to compare to the chill of Nova Ferocia.

This was a city that was in constant winter. Nick had warned Judy as such. But she found herself wholly unprepared for the cold that bit at her ears and nose even as she walked from the inadequately insulated vernacular tube that connected the small ermine-sized jet.

Hood had departed the jet last as she prepared to taxi it to a private hangar somewhere else on the airdrome. She would be meeting up with the party later, she assured.

Nick pulled his passport from his coat pocket and held out his paw for Judy to take. She did so, after fishing out her own passport.

"Got everything?" Nick asked Finnick.

"Mm-hmm," Finnick said, yawning a toothy yawn. He lagged behind slightly, struggling to drag his over-sized luggage. It seemed to be missing a wheel.

"Oh," Judy spoke, letting go of Nick's paw, "Finnick do you need some help carrying—"

"Naw naw," he waved her away, "I got it, I got it. It ain't that heavy. I ain't dead yet, I carry my own stuff."

"You sleep well, big guy?" Nick asked, "No need to get grumpy at my girl."

"Dang dude, that's probably the best damn sleep I've gotten in weeks." Finnick popped his neck, "Too bad it had to come to an end."

"Well, it is getting pretty late." Nick nodded as they made their way toward the customs gate. "We'll see what Hood wants with us then we check into the hotel."

"Yeah, yeah, it's the same deal every time we come here. The same damn hotel."

"So, do you two come here often?" Judy asked, curious at Finnick's statement.

"Yeah," Finnick answered, "I s'pose me and Nick end up here 'bout once a year. And every time, he insists we gotta stay at the same tacky hotel."

"Ohh," Nick waved his free paw at Finnick, "Is my little buddy grumpy? Do you wanna pick the next place we stay?"

"Whatever." He humphed.

"Brr," Judy shivered, "Even _inside_ it's cold."

"I warned you, puff." Nick said, handing his passport to the wolverine that sat in the booth in front of them. "Tundra Town has nothing on this place."

The wolverine handed back Nick's passport. "First time?" she asked, referring to Judy.

"Yep," Nick affirmed as Judy handed in her own passport.

"Eh, you get used to it." The wolverine shrugged, stamping the passport, "Either that, or ya die, eh?" She let out a cackle.

Judy's eyes widened a bit, "Uh— yeah. Ha-ha, hopefully I _don't_ freeze to death." She let out a polite laugh as she took her passport back.

Nick gestured a farewell to the customs agent and took Judy by the paw once again. He walked a short distance away from the booth, then turned and waited for Finnick to finish.

"Don't worry, Judy." Nick said in a comforting voice. "I've never let anyone die on a job before, remember?"

"Mmm, yes, _comforting_."

He leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead before whispering, "I'll keep you warm, little puff." There was no need for the added promise, for the kiss he gave already provided her with warmth.

Finnick let out a snort as he dragged his luggage toward them. "Wait till we get to the hotel, you two."

* * *

"I see you're not 'piloting' the limo?" Nick asked in his annoyingly smug tone. "What, you too short for this ride?"

"You're very funny, Mr. Wilde." Hood replied, seemingly unaffected by this abrasive behavior.

Outside the limo was dark, and getting darker. The harsh street lamps that lit the streets of Nova Ferocia were bright, and shone brighter against the blizzard that had started to pick up outside.

It was windy and loud outside, and the temperature was shrill, mostly due to the wind chill. Judy's nose, ears and extremities immediately lost all resistance to the cold, and she was quickly stripped of all but her core body heat. Huddling next to Nick only provided marginal comfort. But after she had entered Hood's limousine, she found herself warmed, and the outside world silenced. Truly a luxury in this land of fiendish cold.

There were indoor pick-up terminals for Hood's limo to have collected them without needing to leave the comfort of the warmth inside, but they were busy, jam-packed with mammals arriving in the city. And Hood kept insisting that time was not in their favor. However, Judy would mentally argue that if time was such a sensitive resource, Hood should have wasted none of it in withholding the information as to why they were all there.

There was silence as the limo left the airport. Finnick helped himself to some more alcohol that lined the lower side of the interior. Hood seemed to eye him a bit as he did so. But to Judy's perspective, it didn't seem that she was annoyed. Finnick went back to his seat, unwrapping the small bottle of spirits.

Finnick, Nick, and Judy all sat near the rear, while Hood sat toward the front on the rear-facing seat.

"How long do you plan on keeping quiet about the job?" Nick asked, finally becoming irritated that she still wasn't going to talk. "Perhaps this _is_ the job then? Keeping you company? I'm afraid my forte isn't escorting, you see my girlfriend here would be pretty peeved if it were."

"Patience," she grinned, "Right now we're heading for the SinistraNova campus. You are going to meet with the project lead that will be assisting the University of Zootopia with developing a cure for the Nighthowlers."

"Ain't that _your_ part of the deal?" Finnick asked before taking a swig of the wine.

"Yes," Hood nodded.

"Why you showin' us your part first?" Finnick pursued, "You ever gonna tell us what you want us to do? This is gettin' kinda ridiculous."

Both Judy and Nick seemed to agree with their expressions. But before they could voice this—

"The situation is… complicated," Hood crossed her arms, "You will need to see what we've found in order for this to make sense."

"Look, Little Miss Muffet." Nick rubbed his eyes with his thumb and finger, speaking in a tone that signified he was quickly losing his patience. "I have a team back in Zootopia that are waiting for the details of this little _escapade_. Now in order for this to work, I need them working around the clock to get me information in order to do my job. I don't know exactly what you think you're doing keeping us in the dark, but it doesn't bode well for the success rate of… _whatever_ we're doing here."

Hood opened her mouth as if to speak; she held an expression as if offended by Nick's sudden outburst. She closed her mouth and held a more resigned look, waiting for him to continue.

"So how about you tell me _exactly_ what it is you want." He sat back in his seat and put an arm around Judy, his face was smug, as if to brag that he finally had the nerve to stop being polite and push back on the ermine that thought she was in control, "Margaret Hood, how can I be of service?"

Hood tilted her head in thought, she grinned slightly. After a brief moment, she raised her tiny paws, conceding. "You seem to know what you're doing, Mr. Wilde. My apologies, I realize I may have been a bit unforthcoming."

Finnick made a quick huff at that.

Hood continued, "I was going to wait until we met with the lead researcher, but you are right. The clock is ticking. Do you recall what it is I did that allowed you to blackmail me?"

"You authorized the use of a known addictive substance in your asthma medication," Nick nodded.

"Yes." Hood took on an ashamed expression, one that she attempted to hide, but was unsuccessful. "I indeed authorized it and tried to obfuscate any evidence that I had done so… But I did so under duress."

" _Really?_ " Nick eyed her skeptically, "I dunno. A CFO of a pharmaceutical mega-corporation figured she'd just put a tiny trace of chemical in a certain medication to make it hopelessly addicting in order to make more sales. Doesn't seem like you'd need any other temptation to get you to make that decision."

Hood sighed, shaking her head. "Yes, I know how it would seem."

Nick thought for a moment, was she trying to lie about this? Had someone truly blackmailed her into doing this? If so, Nick had merely turned around and tried to blackmail her for the very same action she was forced into doing.

"Say we believe you," Judy spoke up, "Someone forced you into altering your product illegally. Are you saying you want us to find them? Is that the job?"

Hood smiled deviously, "Precisely."

"But that's not all there is to this, is it?" Nick asked, intending to ask what this mystery party could possibly have as blackmail against poor little innocent Margaret Hood, who clearly had never done anything wrong. Before he could ask, Hood continued on.

"Do you want to know how I found out who you were?" she asked, not waiting for an answer. "I bought the information. Everything about you, your real name, where you live… even that you own a nice little hangar in the middle of nowhere."

Nick shrugged, "Eh, I got a bit sloppy. You're not the first to dig up information about me."

"Regardless… Nicholas, darling." She leaned in, clasping her tiny paws together in front of her. "The one who forced me to add the additive into the Caracort, is the very same that sold me the information that led me straight to you."

"So," Nick chuckled, scratching the side of his muzzle, "You plan to bite the hand that feeds you? Or— makes you _poison_ your product, more accurately."

"Yes." She nodded, grinning from ear to ear, "What goes around, comes around. You of all mammals should know that, my dear. We are going to find him… or her— or _them_. I want you to make them _pay_ for ruining my life…"

* * *

 _SinistraNova Main Campus_ _Sealed Viral Testing Laboratories_

" _Viral?_ " Nick scoffed, noticing the ominous signs that lined the walls of the hallways that Hood was leading them through. "I may not know much about pharmaceutical research, but you realize that you're dealing with a _plant_ , right?"

"I am aware, yes." Hood replied, her voice dripping with impatience. The irksome fox had an air about him that rubbed her the wrong way. "We are treating the Nighthowler serum as a bio-hazardous material. We are sparing no expense to contain it properly."

Judy was surprised to hear this. As far as she was aware, it was only yesterday that Hood agreed to assist in the cure effort.

The walls were lined with glass panes, most of them looking into rather large and complicated-looking labs, filled with computers and odd robotic machinery. Some sections of glass were frosted, opaque, preventing anyone from seeing within. It was a large facility, but only the occasional mammal was visible, as if the entire place was run with a minimal staff. Judy reasoned it was a skeleton crew working after-hours on this Monday night.

They were underground, but how far, Judy wasn't quite sure. Finnick had opted to stay upstairs, not really explaining why. She suspected it was because he didn't like being underground, and had teased him a bit about it before the elevator had closed.

Regardless, Judy was used to being underground, living in a bunny household that dug several hundred feet into the earth. However, this place did not resemble her homely rabbit burrow in the slightest. The facility was more sterile, mechanical, and… modular.

"Here we are," Hood said, pressing her tiny clawed finger into a small device on the wall. There were devices higher up, and in larger sizes, no doubt for larger mammals. The screen at Hood's level lit up, and she busied herself with it.

A tall sealed door sat next to the column of computer screens. Judy tried to look into the lab that the door protected, but the glass was too frosted to see anything within clearly. There were lights on inside, and maybe a figure moving around within. She couldn't be sure if it was just the light refracting off the glass from her shifting angle, however.

"Voice print," the computer stated in a female voice.

"Margaret Armelia Hood." Hood spoke clearly.

"Voice not recognized."

Hood cleared her throat. "Margaret. Armelia. Hood."

There was a pause, she gave an awkward smile toward Nick and Judy before crossing her arms. "Stupid security system is a little—"

"Botanical Lab access logged." The computer interrupted. The door made a hissing noise, as if decompressing, and slid open quickly.

Hood motioned for them to follow, which they did.

"So your middle name is _Armelia_." Nick nodded, again speaking in a tone that he knew was annoying to her. "Lovely name. Do you mind if I call you Army? You see, because you're like a one-ferret army."

Hood sighed, "I am _not_ a ferret." It was obvious in her voice that she grew tired of reminding him of this.

It was more obvious that Nick wanted to amuse himself by laying into her further, possibly about whatever he could think to berate her with. But he held himself back, knowing that if this deal turned sour, severe consequences would follow for everyone. Still, he couldn't help but make the innocent 'mistake' now and then.

The three walked through the bright lab, cables and pipes criss-crossed along the floor. Complicated-looking machinery, tables, and computers of all sizes littered the room. But there were no animals in sight…

Despite being named a "Botanical Lab" there were few plants within. Only a handful could be seen, some on shelves, others in larger terrarium-looking containers. Although, Judy couldn't quite see what was inside the larger sealed containers.

"Speaking of ferrets…" Hood stopped walking, looking around the room. "I have someone I'd like you to meet. He says he already knows you, Officer Hopps."

"Judy?" a voice called. Somewhere beyond the machinery. "Are they here?"

"Judy Hopps, Nicholas Wilde," Hood announced as she led them toward the voice, with Nick's name carrying a bit more resentment than Judy's. "I'd like to introduce you to our lead neuro-pharmacologist , and head researcher for the Night King project."

Sure enough, as they turned a corner, around a rather large machine of ambiguous purpose, stood an eager-looking ferret. And to Judy, an all too familiar one. He had grown since she had last seen him, which was years ago. He looked more professional, well groomed, and… _nerdy_.

"Travis!" Judy stood, agape, unbelieving. He wore a lab coat, unbuttoned, revealing a burgundy sweater and black jeans underneath. On his face was a peculiar set of eyewear, Judy recognized them as a Zoogle Glass.

"Judy Hopps," Travis elated, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Uh, well, I guess I work here!" He laughed, his nose twitching as he scratched his cheek, "I could ask the same of you! When Mrs. Hood told me you were comin' to Nova I couldn't believe it! Ah— and who's your friend?" he asked, looking up toward Nick, who raised an eyebrow before smiling back politely.

Nick stood confused, not recognizing the ferret. He simply assumed that Judy and Travis knew each other for now, a safe assumption.

"Ah!" Judy gasped, taking Nick's paw into her own. "Well, this is Nick! We're here to… do a _job_ , for Mrs. Hood."

"Uh-huh," Nick agreed cheerily, "Wilde, Nick Wilde." He held out his free paw, which Travis promptly took in both of his smaller ones and shook it.

"Well," Hood chimed in, "it would seem that you are all warming up to each other, then?" She turned her attention toward Travis, patting him on the arm. She only came up to about his chest, being a smaller animal. "Travis, darling, please fill them in on the Night King project and catch up will you?" She turned to Judy and Nick, "Travis Miles will see to it that you are fully informed on _my_ part of the bargain. Hopefully you will see why I brought you here."

"Wonderful," Nick said, trying to hide his disdain and saying it in the most pleasant tone he could muster, "Afterward, shall we go over—"

"Afterward, you may see yourselves out," she said flatly, and began to walk away, "I will have my secretary send you everything we know about the mammals that we're after, so I suggest you waste no time tonight starting the search. If you have questions, you know where to find me. Oh, and do be careful not to get yourselves lost on the way out. You do remember how to go back the way we came in, yes?" She did not wait for an answer, and briskly walked away. It was obvious that she was weary of their company, presumably a certain fox more than the others.

"Have a good night, Army!" Nick said daintily as she turned her tiny nose up and the door slid closed behind her.

After the door slid closed, Nick allowed his polite grin to fade, replacing it with an annoyed scowl. Judy mirrored his sentiment as she squeezed his larger paw.

"So, uh…" Travis said, "What's your deal with my boss? And are you two— uh… _together_? Or…" He motioned a paw between Nick and Judy.

"Actually, we were hoping you could tell us." Nick returned to his polite grin as he looked at Travis.

"Oh, and yes," Judy answered proudly, beaming up at Nick. "Nick and I are together."

The three spent some time catching up, making small talk, and talking about the Nighthowlers and events that had all led them to be in this room. Travis attempted to keep his obvious curiosity of the relationship between Nick and Judy to himself as he discussed other topics.

Travis had seen Judy on the news and the internet over the past few months, admitting that he had been following her with great interest. So he already knew most of the story that Judy had to tell, save for the relationship that had developed between her and her fox partner.

Nick didn't have much to say, so he listened to Judy recount nearly the entire story. About how they found the source of the Nighthowlers, arrested _both_ Mayors of Zootopia, brought peace to a city in panic, and even found the beginnings of a relationship between them. Nick marveled at how intricately and passionately Judy told their story.

Judy tip-toed around the subject of what happened with their subsequent falling out after the press conference, leading to a three-month gap in her story. Luckily, Travis didn't press the subject, sensing that was a bit of a tender area.

"Wow," Travis shook his head. "Wow, what you two did was _amazing_ , but hearing all the little details that happened between what we saw on the news… You darn right saved the world!"

"That's what we do at the ZPD," Judy said, allowing her own brand of smugness to peek through. "Although, I wouldn't say the _world_ per se."

"So, Nick here is part of the ZPD, too?" Travis asked.

"He will be soon," Judy smiled. "Isn't that right, Nick?"

"Had my interview with the Police Chief this morning." Nick confirmed proudly, "You just may be looking at Zootopia's first fox police officer."

Nick found, as the words rolled off his tongue, that he quite enjoyed being able to say that. Over the years, Nick had lied about being a great many things. A lawyer, a salesman, a commercial litigation consultant. But he had always been the same thing underneath; a shifty low life con-artist. This time Nick wasn't lying, if he played his cards right, which he often did, he just might be Zootopia's first fox cop.

He made a mental note to tell more mammals that he would, hopefully, soon be joining the hard-working animals of law enforcement. Perhaps, starting with his mother. Who he had neglected to talk with much since the conclusion of the Nighthowler investigation.

"So, is it _Dr_. Miles now?" Judy rolled the phrase around in her head. It wasn't that she didn't expect it to happen one day, she knew that Travis had gone off to study medicine in Nova Ferocia around the same time she had enrolled in Bunnyburrow Community College.

"Not quite," Travis corrected, "I'm still studying for my doctorate, so until then, I'm just regular old Travis. I know how it sounds— why did Hood put _me_ in charge? Well, I volunteered, but I'm not the only researcher on the project."

"I was about to ask," Nick nodded, "You don't seem to have any other staff."

"Right," Travis agreed, "Here, follow me."

He led them away from his station, taking them on a short tour of the rather large lab. They came upon a catwalk stretching over a field of deep violet flowers, being tended to by robotic arms. Nighthowler flowers. Again, there were no other animals in sight.

"Most of the facility is automated." Travis began explaining, as he allowed them to look over the fields of purple plants. "I'm mostly working with other scientists in other parts of the world. Most notably our research facility in Kow Lung, Grazia. We've only been studying the plant for nearly half a year now and we've managed to stumble upon some pretty interesting findings."

"Wait, wait, wait," Judy said. Nick was pretty sure he had the same question, so he let her speak. "Did you say a half a _year_?"

Travis put his paws in his pockets, knowing that he had some explaining to do. "Yes, I know what you're probably thinking, and yes; SinistraNova has been researching the neurological effects of the Nighthowlers plant for a long time."

Judy took on a more concerned look. "So, your company knew about the connection between the mammals in Zootopia going savage and the Nighthowler serum?"

"Judy, I uh…" Travis hesitated, he looked unsure. "I'm not sure what it is that Mrs. Hood hired both of you to do, but she told me to tell you everything. About seven months ago, Mayor Lionheart contracted us to help research some strange cases, involving about a dozen mammals that were found to have gone insane… cases where they had _reverted_."

"Wait, so you're saying—" Nick took his paw away from Judy, who was gripping him rather tightly. He motioned his paw in such a way that conveyed a stern _be careful with what you say next._ "So—so you're saying…"

Travis took in a breath before speaking, "The researchers and security timberwolves that the ZPD arrested at the Cliffside facility three months ago. They were all SinistraNova employees. _We_ were the ones abducting the mammals that went savage."


End file.
